Education for Eternity

      Eternity

                 Thirteenth Sabbath



        Thirteenth Sabbath calls for an especially
   generous gift. Look at the back cover map and see
         the special needs Thirteenth Sabbath's
   offering will go to meet. These projects depend on
       a larger offering and that depends on you.

       Dear Sabbath School Member:

       How I wish you could come with me this Sabbath to worship in the crowded
       chapel of the Middle East College in Beirut. After participating in the
       lively Sabbath School exercises and joining in the spirited discussions
       in the classes we would stroll across the campus to visit some of the
       dormitory rooms. Here you will meet and speak to Bereket from Ethiopia,
       Wavomba from Kenya, Mugerwa from Uganda, Yousefi of Iran, Habib who comes
       from ancient Egypt and Sabah whose home Baghdad is near the Bible city of
       Babylon.

       These are representative of the 30 nations and language groups who enjoy
       the simple but adequate amenities of the men's dormitory because of the
       generosity of your Sabbath School offerings in 1976. Each student would
       greet you warmly in an appreciative hand clasp with sincere words which
       would assure you that your investment was one which will give you satis-
       faction for time and eternity.

        If we could speed south 2,500 miles to a beautiful hill on the side of
        Lake Victoria, we would be welcomed by the beaming smile of Mr Don Swan,
        the charming and enthusiastic manager of the Africa Herald Publishing
        House. With a sense of pride he will escort you through the spotlessly
        clean and efficient plant to the new offset printing machine which is busy
        churning out literature in 16 languages as a result of your offering in
        1976. He would relate the thrilling story of the miraculous and provi-
        dential experiences he went through in obtaining the very best machine at
        a fraction of its market value - God has multiplied your gift in a spec-
        tacular way. Together you will breathe a prayer that those thousands of
        pages which are speeding through the Heidelberg machine will reach their
        heaven ordained destination.

        This quarter your offerings and gifts will be helping three very promis-
        ing new projects.
                 1.   The expansion of the Parane School, beautifully situated in the
                      highlands of Tanzania. New classrooms and equipment will enrich
                      the lives of potential workers in this rapidly expanding field.
                 2.   New schools will be opened along the banks of the Nile to provide
                      Seventh-day Adventist Education for the children of members in
                      this land which has experienced so many spectacular miracles.
                 3.   In Ethiopia where our membership is doubling every few years,
                      the need adequately to house the new congregations, ministers
                      and schools is way beyond the resources of the membership. You
                      will help erect simple but representative homes for our district
                      leaders who sometimes care for twelve or fifteen churches in
                      areas where baptisms are conducted any day of the week to meet
                      the demands of the expanding work.

        We appreciate the prayers and the sharing of means which the Sabbath School
        affords.

         God bless you each in these exciting days as you share with us in the spirit-
         ual harvesting in which we are engaged.

         Yours sincerely,



         C D Watson, President
         Afro-Mideast Division


1 --ASSL-43-78

                                           Brought to you by Pacific Press

                         Contris
                               1. The School in a Garden
                        2. The Family—An Educational Center
                      3. God's Command: Religious Education
                              4. Responding to God's Gift
                            5. The Schools of the Prophets
                                   6. Food for Thought
                             7. The Sabbath and Education
                           8. Education—A Total Experience
                     9. The Teacher Sent From God—Objectives
                     10. The Teacher Sent From God—Methods
                      11. The Teacher Sent From God—Results
                          12. The Holy Spirit as an Educator
                          13. Evaluation in the Testing Time
                                  14. Forever Improving The Adult Sabbath School Lessons are prepared by the Sabbath School Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The preparation of the lessons is directed by a worldwide Sabbath School Lesson Committee, the members of which serve as consulting editors.
       Editorial Office: 6840 Eastern Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20012
                       Lesson Author: Charles R. Taylor
                           Editor: W. Richard Lesher
                   Editorial Secretary: Florence L. Wetmore
                     Circulation Manager: Arthur R. Mazat
                          Art and Design: Pacific Press

                      Braille lessons available. See page 120.

                   " 'The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and
                there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the
                ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to
                the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of
                the garden.' Genesis 2:8, 9. Here, amidst the beautiful scenes of
                nature untouched by sin, our first parents were to receive their
                education."—Education, pp. 20, 21.
                   Moses, Elijah, Jesus, John the Baptist, and Paul all retired to
                the solitude of nature in search of communion with God and
                inspiration for their work for Him. In some cases God's servants
                were driven to quiet places by persecution or the consequences
                of their own mistakes, but God used these circumstances to
                speak with His "still, small voice."
                   Notice God's plan, even before sin entered, for man's de-
                velopment as human population spread across the earth:
                   "The Garden of Eden was a representation of what God de-
                sired the whole earth to become, and it was His purpose that, as
                the human family increased in numbers, they should establish
                other homes and schools like the one He had given. Thus in
                course of time the whole earth might be occupied with homes
                and schools where the words and the works of God should be
                studied, and where the students should thus be fitted more and
                more fully to reflect, throughout endless ages, the light of the
                knowledge of His glory."—Education, p. 22.

                     "To him who in the love of Nature holds
                      Communion with her visible forms, she speaks
                     A various language: for his gayer hours
                     She has a voice of gladness, and a smile
                     And eloquence of beauty, and she glides
                     Into his darker musings, with a mild
                     And healing sympathy that steals away
                     Their sharpness ere he is aware."
                                              —William Cullen Bryant.
                   "The poet and the naturalist have many things to say about
                nature, but it is the Christian who enjoys the beauty of the earth
                with the highest appreciation, because he recognizes his Fa-
                ther's handiwork and perceives His love in flower and shrub and
                tree. No one can fully appreciate the significance of hill and
                vale, river and sea, who does not look upon them as an expres-
                sion of God's love to man."--Steps to Christ, p. 87.

                   "Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the
                field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to
                see what he would call them" (Gen. 2:19).
                   "They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the gar-
                den in the cool of the day" (Gen. 3:8, RSV).

                  Out of His special regard for His children, our heavenly Father
                personally directed the education of Adam and Eve. "Often they
                were visited by His messengers, the holy angels, and from them
                received counsel and instruction. Often as they walked in the
                garden in the cool of the day they heard the voice of God, and
                face to face held communion with the Eternal. His thoughts
                toward them were 'thoughts of peace, and not of evil.' Jeremiah
                29:11. His every purpose was their highest good."—Education,
                p. 21.

                  What has God stood ready to do for His people even after sin
                came into the world? Isa. 30:20, 21; Ps. 32:8.

                   For a whole quarter, in 1976, the world Sabbath School
                studied, under the topic "God Is Not Silent," the ways in which
                God seeks to communicate with man. When a message is of
                life-and-death importance, it may be sent through several
                channels in the hope that the message may be received through
                one of them. This is what God has done through nature, through
                His Son, through the Bible, through angels, through human
                witnesses, and through the spirit of prophecy.

                   When will God's plan again encompass face-to-face rela-
                tionship with human beings? Rev. 21:3; 22:3, 4.

                                                                                11

                     The information the Bible provides regarding Creation Week
                  and the first thousand years of human existence is very sketchy,
                  but it is enough to let us understand that God put man in touch
                  with the world of nature. Assigning names to living things is
                  even today an intellectual challenge. It requires an understand-
                  ing of many factors that serve as the basis for classification.
                  There are broad categories such as phylum, division, class, and
                  order, and more narrow categories such as family, genus,
                  species, and variety. The names given by Adam were not the
                  scientific names used in textbooks today, but no doubt revealed
                  a keen observation of nature.
                     "Nature was the lesson book," says Ellen White quoted in the
                  introduction to this week's lesson. "The book of nature, which
                  spread its living lessons before them, afforded an exhaustless
                  source of instruction and delight. On every leaf of the forest and
                  stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and sea
                  and sky, God's name was written. With both the animate and the
                  inanimate creation—with leaf and flower and tree, and with
                  every living creature, from the leviathan of the waters to the
                  mote in the sunbeam—the dwellers in Eden held converse,
                  gathering from each the secrets of its life. God's glory in the
                  heavens, the innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions,
                  'the balancings of the clouds' (Job 37:16), the mysteries of light
                  and sound, of day and night—all were objects of study by the
                  pupils of earth's first school.
                     "The laws and operations of nature, and the great principles
                  of truth that govern the spiritual universe, were opened to their
                  minds by the infinite Author of all. In 'the light of the knowledge
                  of the glory of God' (2 Corinthians 4:6), their mental and
                  spiritual powers developed, and they realized the highest plea-
                  sures of their holy existence."—Education, pp. 21, 22.

 FURTHER STUDY      Child Guidance, pp. 144-147.

                   Loneliness is not a part of God's recommended way of life for
               men and women. It may be a necessary consequence of stand-
               ing for the right in a world of sin. It may be one of the prices that
               people pay when they accept responsibilities of leadership or
               command. To Joshua God said, "As I was with Moses, so I will
               be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" (Joshua 1:5).
               To His people God said through Isaiah (43:2, 5): "When thou
               passest through the waters, I will be with thee." "Fear not: for I
               am with thee." Esther and Daniel stood alone, at times, except
               for the company of God and His angels.
                   But even when God's presence was in the Garden of Eden, He
               provided human companionship as an important part of human
               development. An only child in a family tends to miss something
               that enriches the lives of children in larger families. And schools
               do well to emphasize the social graces along with intellectual
               and manual skills. One of the advantages of dormitory life is
                learning to get along with other young people of varied temper-
                aments and backgrounds.
                   Ellen White has left us the following comment on today's
                scripture: "The Eden home of our first parents was prepared for
                them by God Himself. When He had furnished it with everything
                that man could desire, He said: 'Let Us make man in Our image,
                after Our likeness.' . . .
                   "The Lord was pleased with this last and noblest of all His
                 creatures, and designed that he should be the perfect inhabi-
                tant of a perfect world. But it was not His purpose that man
                should live in solitude. He said: 'It is not good that the man
                should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.'
                   "God Himself gave Adam a companion. He provided 'an help
                meet for him'—a helper corresponding to him—one who was
                fitted to be his companion, and who could be one with him in
                 love and sympathy. Eve was created from a rib taken from the
                 side of Adam, signifying that she was not to control him as the
                 head, nor to be trampled under his feet as an inferior, but to
                 stand by his side as an equal, to be loved and protected by him.
                 A part of man, bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, she was
                 his second self; showing the close union and the affectionate
                 attachment that should exist in this relation."—The Adventist
                Home, p. 25.

                                                                                 13

                     Adam and Eve, though created innocent and holy, were not
                  placed beyond the possibility of wrongdoing. God made them
                  free to choose, capable of appreciating the wisdom and benevo-
                  lence of His character and the justice of His requirements, with
                  full liberty to yield or to withhold obedience.
                     "At the very beginning of man's existence a check was placed
                  upon the desire for self-indulgence, the fatal passion that lay at
                  the foundation of Satan's fall. The tree of knowledge, which
                  stood near the tree of life in the midst of the garden, was to be a
                  test of the obedience, faith, and love of our first parents. While
                  permitted to eat freely of every other tree, they were forbidden to
                  taste of this, on pain of death. They were also to be exposed to
                  the temptations of Satan; but if they endured the trial, they
                  would finally be placed beyond his power, to enjoy perpetual
                  favor with God."—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 48, 49.

 FURTHER STUDY      Education, pp. 225-229.

                                                                           15

                 The first notable example of parental instruction and its re-
              sults is found in the life of Abram, who erected an altar to the
              Lord wherever he pitched his tent (see also Gen. 13:18 and PP
              128). The key text for the week was spoken by God referring to
              Abraham: "I know him, that he will command his children and
              his household after him."
                 The fellowship of father and son in worshiping God is evident:
              "I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to
              you" (Gen. 22:5).
                 Apparently Abraham's devotional habits were effectively
              transmitted to Isaac. On the eve of his wedding to Rebecca we
              find Isaac in a unique setting for his evening worship: "Isaac
              went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up
              his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming" (Gen.
             24:63). No doubt while he was praying, the answer was on the
              way!
                 "Like the patriarchs of old, those who profess to love God
             should erect an altar to the Lord wherever they pitch their tent. If
             ever there was a time when every house should be a house of
             prayer, it is now. Fathers and mothers should often lift up their
             hearts to God in humble supplication for themselves and their
             children. Let the father, as priest of the household, lay upon the
             altar of God the morning and evening sacrifice, while the wife
             and children unite in prayer and praise. In such a household
             Jesus will love to tarry."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 144.
                 "Not until parents themselves walk in the law of the Lord with
             perfect hearts will they be prepared to command their children
             after them. A reformation in this respect is needed—a reforma-
             tion which shall be deep and broad. Parents need to reform;
             ministers need to reform; they need God in their households. If
             they would see a different state of things, they must bring His
             word into their families and must make it their counselor. They
             must teach their children that it is the voice of Godaddressed to
             them, and is to be implicitly obeyed. They should patiently
             instruct their children, kindly and untiringly teach them how to
             live in order to please God. The children of such a household are
             prepared to meet the sophistries of infidelity. They have ac-
             cepted the Bible as the basis of their faith, and they have a
             foundation that cannot be swept away by the incoming tide of
             skepticism."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 143.

                 This second notable home in Bible history reveals problems
               that resulted from the seeds of deceit sown early in Jacob's life.
               He was himself deceived, and his children's loyalties were di-
               vided among four mothers. In addition to this, Jacob made a
               mistake in showing favoritism to Joseph. At seventeen, Joseph
               was a spoiled child. But there was a basic solid foundation
               which God used to good purpose, not only for Joseph, but for
               His plan to save the human race! Watch for the drama in this
               scene!
                 "As the caravan journeyed southward toward the borders of
               Canaan, the boy could discern in the distance the hills among
               which lay his father's tents.... What a change in situation—from
               the tenderly cherished son to the despised and helpless slave!

                  "But, in the providence of God, even this experience was to
               be a blessing to him. He had learned in a few hours that which
               years might not otherwise have taught him.... Faults had been
               encouraged that were now to be corrected. He was becoming
               self-sufficient and exacting. Accustomed to the tenderness of
               his father's care, he felt that he was unprepared to cope with the
               difficulties before him, in the bitter, uncared-for life of a
               stranger and a slave.
                  "Then his thoughts turned to his father's God. In his child-
               hood he had been taught to love and fear Him. Often in his
               father's tent he had listened to the story of the vision that Jacob
               saw as he fled from his home an exile and a fugitive. He had
               been told of the Lord's promises to Jacob, and how they had
               been fulfilled—how, in the hour of need, the angels of God had
               come to instruct, comfort, and protect him. And he had learned
               of the love of God in providing for men a Redeemer. Now all
               these precious lessons came vividly before him. Joseph be-
               lieved that the God of his fathers would be his God. He then and
               there gave himself fully to the Lord. . . .
                  "One day's experience had been the turning point in Joseph's
               life."—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 213, 214.

                                                                               19

                     Abraham and Jacob have been cited as examples of godly
                  fathers whose influence was reflected in the lives of their sons.
                  Jochebed was a woman of the tribe of Levi, the tribe later to be
                  charged with the religious instruction of an entire nation. Cer-
                  tainly she made wonderful use of the short time that was
                  granted to her for the education of the baby rescued from the
                  waters of the river Nile (Ex. 2:2-9). Mothers, especially, should
                  find encouragement in thinking about the content of today's
                  lesson.
                     "The whole future life of Moses, the great mission which he
                  fulfilled as the leader of Israel, testifies to the importance of the
                  work of the Christian mother. There is no other work that can
                  equal this. To a very great extent the mother holds in her own
                  hands the destiny of her children. She is dealing with develop-
                  ing minds and characters, working not alone for time, but for
                  eternity. She is sowing seed that will spring up and bear fruit,
                  either for good or for evil. She has not to paint a form of beauty
                  upon canvas or to chisel it from marble, but to impress upon a
                  human soul the image of the divine. Especially during their early
                  years the responsibility rests upon her of forming the character
                  of her children. The impressions now made upon their develop-
                  ing minds will remain with them all through life. . . . They are
                  placed in our care to be trained, not as heirs to the throne of an
                  earthly empire, but as kings unto God, to reign through unend-
                  ing ages."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 244.

 FURTHER STUDY      Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 242-246.

                 The fourth parent in this week's lesson is Hannah. She was
              the one who went to the sanctuary at Shiloh with a heavy burden
              on her heart. It was not only the hurt of Peninnah's scorn and
              ridicule that weighed on her, but the unfulfilled longing of
              having a child to hold in her arms. The round of ceremonies in
              the tabernacle, the bright-colored embroidery on the veil, the
              precious stones on the vestment of the high priest—none of the
              elements of the divine service were sufficient to retain her atten-
              tion. "She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord,
              and wept sore" (1 Sam. 1:10). Her lips moved, but tier voice was
              not heard, and Eli thought that she was under the influence of
              alcohol.
                 The depth and earnestness of her desire, intensified by delay
              of fulfillment, made her appreciative of God's gift when at last
              her wish was granted and Samuel was born. "He was her only
              son, the special gift of heaven; but she had received him as a
              treasure consecrated to God, and she would not withhold from
              the Giver His own."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 571. Hannah's
              devotion followed Samuel into the years he spent under Eli's
              tutelage in the sanctuary, opening and closing the doors,
              sweeping, tending the lamps.
                 "From the earliest dawn of intellect she had taught her son to
              love and reverence God and to regard himself as the Lord's. By
               every familiar object surrounding him she had sought to lead
               his thoughts up to the Creator. When separated from her child,
               the faithful mother's solicitude did not cease. Every day he was
               the subject of her prayers. Every year she made, with her own
               hands, a robe of service for him; and as she went up with her
               husband to worship at Shiloh, she gave the child this reminder
               of her love. Every fiber of the little garment had been woven with
               a prayer that he might be pure, noble, and true. She did not ask
               for her son worldly greatness, but she earnestly pleaded that he
               might attain that greatness which Heaven values—that he might
               honor God and bless his fellow men.
                  "What a reward was Hannah's! and what an encouragement
               to faithfulness is her example!"—Patriarchs and Prophets,
               p. 572.

                                                                               21

                    Daniel and his companions were chosen because of qualities
                 they already had. Only by inference can we paint a picture of
                  what Daniel's home and home training must have been like.
                 There is evidence of health ("well favoured"), of intellectual
                 development ("skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowl-
                 edge"), and also of social graces and character development
                 ("ability . . . to stand in the king's palace").
                    Today's lesson deserves special attention from young people
                 because in universities today they are often thrown into the
                 company of the future intellectual leaders of their country.
                    "You should be prepared to follow the example of these noble
                 youth [Joseph, Daniel, and his fellows]. Never be ashamed of
                 your colors; put them on, unfurl them to the gaze of men and
                 angels."—Messages to Young People, p. 28.
                    "Dear youth, what is the aim and purpose of your life? Are you
                 ambitious for education that you may have a name and position
                 in the world? Have you thoughts that you dare not express, that
                 you may one day stand upon the summit of intellectual great-
                 ness; that you may sit in deliberative and legislative councils,
                 and help to enact laws for the nation? There is nothing wrong in
                 these aspirations. You may every one of you make your mark....
                    " ... Take your religion into your school life, into your board-
                 ing house, into all your pursuits. . . .
                    "Balanced by religious principle, you may climb to any height
                 you please."—Messages to Young People, pp. 36, 37.
                   Notice that Daniel did not enter the university of Babylon
                 because of selfish ambition. He was placed there through cir-
                 cumstances that God used to further His own purposes.
                 Daniel's character was the result of faithful early education in
                 his godly home. And God could use him to penetrate the highest
                 courts on earth with a message from the King of kings.
                   "Daniel and his companions had been faithfully instructed in
                 the principles of the word of God."—Education, p. 55.

 FURTHER STUDY    Education, pp. 54-58.

                    The formative years of the Son of God were spent in a quiet
                 mountain village. The educational experiences of the annual
                 feasts in Jerusalem were part of God's plan for the education of
                 Israel. Jesus' parents obediently followed God's plan in taking
                 their child to the Passover when He reached the age of twelve. A
               ' balanced growth of the intellectual and the physical, of the
                 spiritual and the social—all these are expressed in the three
                 verses cited above.
                    The following paragraph by Ellen White gives us a picture of
                 the family school in Nazareth: "With deep earnestness the
                 mother of Jesus watched the unfolding of His powers, and
                 beheld the impress of perfection upon His character. With de-
                 light she sought to encourage that bright, receptive mind.
                 Through the Holy Spirit she received wisdom to co-operate with
                 the heavenly agencies in the development of this child, who
                 could claim only God as His Father."—The Desire of Ages, p. 69.

                   What does the Bible record tell us of divine planning for the
                life of Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist, and of his parents'
                concern for carrying out the divine instructions? Luke 1:13-15,
                60, 76-79.

                  What was the result of their faithfulness? Luke 1:80.

                   "John was to stand as a reformer. By his abstemious life and
                plain dress he was to rebuke the excesses of his time. Hence the
                directions given to the parents of John,—a lesson of temper-
                ance by an angel from the throne of heaven.
                   "In childhood and youth the character is most impressible.
                The power of self-control should then be acquired. By the
                fireside and at the family board influences are exerted whose
                results are as enduring as eternity. More than any natural en-
                dowment, the habits established in early years decide whether a
                man will be victorious or vanquished in the battle of life. Youth is
                the sowing time. It determines the character of the harvest, for
                this life and for the life to come."—The Desire of Ages, pp. 100,
                101.

                                                                                 23

 FURTHER STUDY     Child Guidance, pp. 21-25.

                "These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in
              thy heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy chil-
              dren, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house,
              and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down,
              and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign
              upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine
              eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house,
              and on thy gates" (Deut. 6:6-9).

                  These memorable words are part of Moses' second great
               oration, recorded in Deuteronomy 4:44 to 26:19. There is not
               necessarily any reference here to formal education in a class-
               room. The context is that of the family home; Moses speaks of
               conversation during shared activities, of evening and morning
               communion, of visible reminders in prominent locations in the
               home. But there is no question as to the responsibility that God
               places upon parents for the religious upbringing of their chil-
               dren. The final paragraph of the passage referred to in the
               introduction to this lesson states: "The Lord would use the
               church school as an aid to the parents in educating and prepar-
               ing their children for this time before us. Then let the church
               take hold of the school work in earnest and make it what the
               Lord desires it to be."—Counsels to Teachers, p. 167.
                  In ancient Israel the parents had the main responsibility, but
               God also appointed the Levites to be scattered throughout all
               the tribes as teachers of the law of God.
                  "From the earliest times the faithful in Israel had given much
               care to the education of the youth. The Lord had directed that
               even from babyhood the children should be taught of His good-
               ness and His greatness, especially as revealed in His law, and
               shown in the history of Israel. Song and prayer and lessons from
               the Scriptures were to be adapted to the opening mind. Fathers
               and mothers were to instruct their children that the law of God is
               an expression of His character, and that as they received the
               principles of the law into the heart, the image of God was traced
               on mind and soul. Much of the teaching was oral; but the youth
               also learned to read the Hebrew writings; and the parchment
                rolls of the Old Testament Scriptures were open to their
                study."—The Desire of Ages, p. 69.

                                                                              27

                    God's command to Israel, given through Moses, is repeated
                 again through these words of Solomon: "Train up a child in the
                 way he should go."
                    "This language is positive. The training that Solomon enjoins
                 is to direct, educate, develop. But in order for parents to do this
                 work, they must themselves understand the 'way' the child
                 should go. It is impossible for parents to give their children
                 proper training unless they first give themselves to God, learn-
                 ing of the Great Teacher lessons of obedience to His will."—
                 Counsels to Teachers, p. 108.

                   What is the most difficult part of training a child "in the way
                 he should go"?

                    "Physical training, the development of the body, is far more
                 easily given than spiritual training. The nursery, the playground,
                 the workshop; the sowing of the seed; and the gathering of the
                 harvest—all these give physical training. Under ordinarily fa-
                 vorable circumstances a child naturally gains healthful vigor
                 and proper development of the bodily organs. Yet even in phys-
                 ical lines the child should be carefully trained.
                    "Soul culture, which gives purity and elevation to the
                 thoughts and fragrance to word and act, requires more
                 painstaking effort. It takes patience to keep every evil motive
                 weeded from the garden of the heart. The spiritual training
                 should in no case be neglected; for 'the fear of the Lord is the
                 beginning of wisdom' Psalm 111:10. By some, education is
                 placed next to religion, but true education is religion. The Bible
                 should be the child's first textbook. From this book, parents are
                 to give wise instruction."—Counsels to Teachers, pp. 108, 109.
                   Sanctification, both for adults and for little children, can be
                 said to be the work of the Holy Spirit in aiding us to develop a
                 new set of habits. Someone has said that we are fortunate in that
                 good habits are just as hard to break as bad habits. This is
                 probably true of acquired ways of responding to situations. But
                 because of our inherited tendencies to sin (to bad habits), we
                 contantly need to be dependent on the presence and the ena-
                 bling grace of Christ to make us "more than conquerors
                 through him who loved us."

 FURTHER STUDY     Child Guidance, pp. 193, 194, 202, 203.

                  To whom are these dramatic, encouraging, poetic words
               spoken? The context gives us the clue. Who, although barren
               will break forth into singing (verse 1)? Who is to enlarge the
               place of her tent, to lengthen her cords and strengthen her
               stakes (verse 2)? Who is the forsaken woman (verses 5, 6)? Who
               will have mountains of obstacles removed before her (verses 9,
               10)? Ancient Israel, of which the antitype is the Christian
               church, is beautifully pictured in the whole chapter—her trials
               and her triumphs.
                  Tucked away in verse 13, above, is an expression that has
               been a great comfort to Christian parents who are separated
               from their children—"All thy children shall be taught of the
               Lord." The seal of one of our colleges established in the early
               days of the church contains this promise. It is an all-inclusive
               statement regarding the education of the children of the
               church. The Lord Himself will teach them, according to this
               prophecy, and the result will be great peace. The ultimate ful-
               fillment of the prophecy, no doubt, refers to conditions in the
               earth made new. But it is evident from statements in the writings
               of Ellen White that God designs part of the triumph of the
               church even here below to be the establishment of church
               schools.
                   "In some countries parents are compelled by law to send their
               children to school. In these countries, in localities where there
               is a church, schools should be established if there are no more
               than six children to attend. Work as if you were working for your
               life to save the children from being drowned in the polluting,
               corrupting influences of the world."—Testimonies, vol. 6,
               p. 199.
                   "Before the overflowing scourge shall come upon the dwell-
               ers of the earth, the Lord calls upon all who are Israelites indeed
               to prepare for that event. To parents He sends the warning cry:
               Gather your children into your own houses; gather them away
               from those who are disregarding the commandments of God,
                who are teaching and practicing evil. Get out of the large cities
               as fast as possible. Establish church schools. Give your children
                the word of God as the foundation of all their education."—
               Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 195.

                                                                                29

                      The building of a house, rising up early, sitting up late, eating
                   the bread of sorrows—these are the images in the first part of
                   this psalm. The writer then approaches, in the second stanza,
                   the vibrant living element that makes a house a home—the
                   family, the house full of children. In societies based on agricul-
                   ture it is perhaps a blessing to have a large family with many
                   hands to help cultivate and harvest the crops. In an over-
                   crowded, industrial society, and in developing countries where
                   the demand for modern conveniences outstrips the supply,
                  population control is a lively issue. Family planning is debated
                   in the press, on radio and TV, and on the billboards. Both the
                  privileges and the responsibilities that parents have when they
                  bring children into the world are reflected in the inspired coun-
                  sel sent by God to His church in these latter days:
                     "Children are the heritage of the Lord, and we are answerable
                  to Him for our management of His property.... In love, faith, and
                  prayer let parents work for their households, until with joy they
                  can come to God saying, 'Behold, I and the children whom the
                  Lord hath given me.'
                     "A childless house is a desolate place. The hearts of the
                  inmates are in danger of becoming selfish, of cherishing a love
                  for their own ease, and consulting their own desires and con-
                  veniences. They gather sympathy to themselves, but have little
                  to bestow upon others."—The Adventist Home, p. 159.

 FURTHER STUDY      Child Guidance, pp. 17-20.

     Part 6     Why did the psalmist want an unpolluted environment for
PLANTS AND    the children of God's people?
   PALACES
                "That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth;
              that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the
              similitude of a palace" (Ps. 144:12).

                 Let us examine the context of this verse. Twice, in verses 7
              and 8, and in verse 11, David expresses the desire to be deliv-
              ered "from the hand of strange children, whose mouth
              speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of false-
              hood." The rest of the psalm is joyful praise of the Lord's power
              for good and the resulting prosperity of His people.
                 The "strange children" may refer to David's enemies from
              whose sword the Lord delivered him, thus creating a peaceful
              condition in which his own children could grow to prosperous
              maturity. However, a morally secure environment is important
              to spiritual growth. When Jesus wanted to instruct His disciples,
              He often retired to a secluded, quiet place, even though He
              might be followed eventually by a large crowd to whom He
              ministered, as in the case of feeding the five thousand. Most
              Seventh-day Adventist boarding schools have been established
              initially, by deliberate choice, under the guidance of God, in
              country locations, free from the corrupting influences of the
              large cities.
                 "That education alone which brings the student into close
              relation with the Great Teacher is true education. The youth are
              to be taught to look to Christ as their guide. They are to be
              taught lessons of forbearance and trust, of true goodness and
              kindness of heart, of perseverance and steadfastness. Their
              characters are to answer to the words of David: 'That our sons
              may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters
              may be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a
               palace.' Psalm 144:12.
                 "The converted student has broken the chain which bound
              him to the service of sin, and has placed himself in right relation
               to God. His name is enrolled in the Lamb's book of life. He is
               under solemn obligation to renounce evil and come under the
               jurisdiction of heaven. Through earnest prayer he is to cleave to
               Christ. To neglect this devotion, to refuse this service, is to
               become the sport of Satan's wiles."—Counsels to Teachers,
               p. 496.

                                                                               31

                 Abraham's gift of his son on Mount Moriah was accepted by
              the Father, who had not spared His own Son. God confirmed
              with a solemn oath the blessing He had promised to Abraham
              when He called him from Haran: "By myself have I sworn, saith
              the Lord, for because thou has done this thing, and hast not
              withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee,
              and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the
              heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy
              seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall
              all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast
              obeyed my voice" (verses 16-18).
                 "Abraham's great act of faith stands like a pillar of light,
              illuminating the pathway of God's servants in all succeeding
              ages. Abraham did not seek to excuse himself from doing the
              will of God. During that three days' journey he had sufficient
              time to reason, and to doubt God, if he was disposed to doubt.
              He might have reasoned that the slaying of his son would cause
              him to be looked upon as a murderer, a second Cain; that it
              would cause his teaching to be rejected and despised, and thus
              destroy his power to do good to his fellow men. He might have
              pleaded that age should excuse him from obedience. But the
              patriarch did not take refuge in any of these excuses. Abraham
              was human; his passions and attachments were like ours; but
              he did not stop to question how the promise could be fulfilled if
              Isaac should be slain. He did not stay to reason with his aching
              heart. He knew that God is just and righteous in all His require-
              ments, and he obeyed the command to the very letter."—
              Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 153.

                What gift to God was expected in every family In Israel? Ex.
              22:29.

                "God had promised to give the First-born of heaven to save
              the sinner. This gift was to be acknowledged in every household
              by the consecration of the first-born son. He was to be devoted
              to the priesthood, as a representative of Christ among men."—
              The Desire of Ages, p. 51.

                                                                                35

                    "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
                  that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
                  unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1).

                      Isaac was to have been a burnt offering, slain on the altar. But
                   the provision of a substitute made him a living sacrifice instead
                   of a dead sacrifice. This did not make his sacrifice of lesser
                   importance. Someone has said that it takes more courage to live
                   for Christ than it does to die for Christ. The courage to face
                   death is the courage of a moment. The courage to live for Christ
                   requires a daily sacrifice of self, such as Isaac had already
                   learned before he went to Mount Moriah.
                      "It was with terror and amazement that Isaac learned his fate,
                   but he offered no resistance. He could have escaped his doom,
                  had he chosen to do so; the grief-stricken old man, exhausted
                  with the struggle of those three terrible days, could not have
                  opposed the will of the vigorous youth. But Isaac had been
                  trained from childhood to ready, trusting obedience, and as the
                  purpose of God was opened before him, he yielded a willing
                  submission. He was a sharer in Abraham's faith, and he felt that
                  he was honored in being called to give his life as an offering to
                  God. He tenderly seeks to lighten the father's grief, and encour-
                  ages his nerveless hands to bind the cords that confine him to
                  the altar."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 152.
                     It is clear that the sacrifice made by Abraham was also a
                  commitment made by the young man Isaac. The call to become
                  a living sacrifice, made by Paul, is applied by Ellen White to the
                  youth of today, who are to live pure, clean lives like that of
                  Daniel. (See The Adventist Home, pp. 301, 302.) Not only are
                  parents called to dedicate their children to God, but the youth
                  are invited to commit themselves:
                     "Christ is calling for volunteers to enlist under His standard,
                  and bear the banner of the cross before the world. The church is
                  languishing for the help of young men who will bear a coura-
                  geous testimony, who will with their ardent zeal stir up the slug-
                  gish energies of God's people, and so increase the power of the
                  church in the world. Young men are wanted who will resist the
                  tide of worldliness, and lift a voice of warning against taking the
                  first steps in immorality and vice."—Messages to Young People,
                  pp. 24, 25.

 FURTHER STUDY     Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 541, 542.

                 There is an inescapable relationship between the prayer that
              Jesus instructed the seventy to pray and their own participation
              in bringing about the answer to that prayer. Praying about the
              harvest creates a concern that leads one to commit himself to
              being a part of it and helping to bring it in.
                 The agricultural way of life in Jesus' time was especially apt
              for illustrating certain factors in the work of the gospel, more so
              than industrial life today. There was an element of timeliness, of
              urgency, associated with the ripening of the grain and fruit.
              When harvesttime came, the landowner sought by every means
              to get sufficient help to finish the harvest before the fruit or the
              grain was spoiled. In the parable of the vineyard, even at the
              eleventh hour, what we would call five p.m., he was recruiting
              harvest hands. He was willing to pay them for a whole day's
              work even if they worked only one hour before night came.
                 "We are nearing the close of earth's history. We have before
              us a great work,—the closing work of giving the last warning
              message to a sinful world. There are men who will be taken from
              the plow, from the vineyard, from various other branches of
              work, and sent forth by the Lord to give this message to the
              world."—Gospel Workers, p. 36.
                 "We must manifest confidence in our young men. They
              should be pioneers in every enterprise involving toil and sac-
              rifice, while the overtaxed servants of Christ should be
               cherished as counselors, to encourage and bless those who
               strike the heaviest blows for God."—Gospel Workers, p. 83.
                 "Young men are wanted. God calls them to missionary fields.
               Being comparatively free from care and responsibilities, they
               are more favorably situated to engage in the work than are those
               who must provide for the training and support of a large family.
               Furthermore, young men can more readily adapt themselves to
               new climates and new society, and can better endure incon-
               veniences and hardships. By tact and perseverance, they can
               reach the people where they are."—Gospel Workers, p. 84.

                                                                               37

                     The verse immediately preceding this verse describes Jesus
                   personally mingling with the people in their villages. The verses
                  following repeat the appeal to pray for the Lord of harvest to
                  send forth laborers into His harvest.
                     Down through history, one of the elements of God's call to a
                  person to be His mouthpiece in a given period or place was the
                  bringing of that person into contact with the world's need,
                  giving him or her a perception of the situation. The realization of
                  the need became a burden that could not be thrown off without
                  a commitment to service.
                     Isaiah saw God's glory in the temple and sensed not only his
                  own great need but that of his people also: "I dwell in the midst
                  of a people of unclean lips." His lips were purified by a live coal
                  from the altar, and then he responded to the call by saying,
                  "Here am I; send me" (Isa. 6:5-8).
                     Paul was waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy. While he
                  waited, touring the city perhaps, "he was greatly upset when he
                  noticed how full of idols the city was" (Acts 17:16, TEV).
                     If you have stood at the top of the World Trade Center in
                  New York, or the Torre Latinamericana in Mexico City, or a sky-
                  scraper in one of the other great cities of the world, perhaps you
                  also have felt something of the same tug at your heartstrings.
                  Perhaps you have heard a song that echoes the refrain, "Where
                  do all the lonely people go?" And you ache to reach some way to
                  the millions who need the peace and the joy that Christian
                  workers can bring them. You long to be one of those workers, as
                  a layman or as a denominational employee. And you long to see
                  your children sharing in the work that has become your very
                  motive for existence ever since Christ came into your heart.

 FURTHER STUDY      Messages to Young People, pp. 219-225.

                  Our faith is demonstrated by its fruitage, which can be seen by
               all. If we believe Christ is coming, we will do all that is in our
               power to hasten His coming. We will strive to finish the task He
               has given His church to do, and this includes giving our children
               an education to become workers for the Lord. God's blessing
               upon Abraham that in him all nations of the earth should be
               blessed is shared by those who have given of their children to go
               to the far corners of earth with the gospel message for this time.
                  "It was to impress Abraham's mind with the reality of the
               gospel, as well as to test his faith, that God commanded him to
               slay his son. The agony which he endured during the dark days
               of that fearful trial was permitted that he might understand from
               his own experience something of the greatness of the sacrifice
               made by the infinite God for man's redemption. No other test
               could have caused Abraham such torture of soul as did the
               offering of his son. God gave His Son to a death of agony and
               shame. The angels who witnessed the humiliation and soul
               anguish of the Son of God were not permitted to interpose, as in
               the case of Isaac. There was no voice to cry, 'It is enough.' To
               save the fallen race, the King of glory yielded up His life. What
               stronger proof can be given of the infinite compassion and love
               of God? 'He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up
               for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all
               things?' Romans 8:32."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 154.

                                                                               39

                    The scriptures cited for the first four days' study of this week
                 mention four places where companies of prophets or sons of
                 the prophets were gathered: Ramah, Bethel, Jericho, and Gil-
                 gal. The first mention of them is tied to the name of Samuel. The
                 others are tied to the names of Elijah and Elisha, immediately
                 preceding and following Elijah's translation to heaven in a
                 chariot of fire. We today often refer to these companies as
                 schools of the prophets.
                   This first mention is notable not only for the fact that Samuel
                 was presiding, but for the powerful influence that drew three
                 successive companies of the messengers of Saul into the spirit
                 of praise to God, in poetry and song.
                   "The schools of the prophets were founded by Samuel to
                 serve as a barrier against the widespread corruption, to provide
                 for the moral and spiritual welfare of the youth, and to promote
                 the future prosperity of the nation by furnishing it with men
                 qualified to act in the fear of God as leaders and counselors. In
                 the accomplishment of this object Samuel gathered companies
                of young men who were pious, intelligent, and studious. These
                 were called the sons of the prophets. As they communed with
                 God and studied His word and His works, wisdom from above
                was added to their natural endowments. The instructors were
                men not only well versed in divine truth, but those who had
                themselves enjoyed communion with God and had received the
                 special endowment of His Spirit. They enjoyed the respect and
                confidence of the people, both for learning and piety.
                   "In Samuel's day there were two of these schools—one at
                Ramah, the home of the prophet, and the other at Kirjath-jearim,
                where the ark then was. Others were established in later
                times."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 593.

                   Beth-el was the place where Jacob lay down to sleep with a
               stone for a pillow as he fled from his brother Esau. Alone and
               unbefriended, he dreamed he saw a ladder of light reaching
               down from heaven to his resting place. He arose to name the
               place Beth-el, house of God, "for surely God is in this place, and
               I knew it not. .'. . This is none other but the house of God."
                   How appropriate it is that a school of the prophets should be
               established in such a place as this. Every Christian school today
               should have an atmosphere such that the name Beth-el would
               fit. "Ministers and teachers, let your work be fragrant with rich
               spiritual grace."—Gospel Workers, p. 272. To students God
               says, "Notice for yourself if all things in your own room are
               spotless and in order, that nothing there may be an offense to
               God, but that when holy angels pass through your room, they
               may be led to linger because attracted by the prevailing order
               and cleanliness."—Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 171.
                   "The chief subjects of study in these schools were the law of
                God, with the instructions given to Moses, sacred history, sa-
                cred music, and poetry. The manner of instruction was far dif-
                ferent from that in the theological schools of the present day,
                from which many students graduate with less real knowledge of
                God and religious truth than when they entered. In those
                schools of the olden time it was the grand object of all study to
                learn the will of God and man's duty toward Him. In the records
                of sacred history were traced the footsteps of Jehovah. The
                great truths set forth by the types were brought to view, and faith
                grasped the central object of all that system—the Lamb of God
                that was to take away the sin of the world.
                   "A spirit of devotion was cherished. Not only were students
                taught the duty of prayer, but they were taught how to pray, how
                to approach their Creator, how to exercise faith in Him, and how
                to understand and obey the teachings of His Spirit. Sanctified
                 intellects brought forth from the treasure house of God things
                new and old, and the Spirit of God was manifested in prophecy
                 and sacred song."—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 593, 594.

                                                                                43

                   Jericho had been the scene of God's mighty demonstration of
                 power on behalf of his chosen people. The younger generation
                 saw in the opening of the river Jordan and the fall of Jericho a
                 special indication the Lord was with them. A monument was
                 erected near Jericho with specific instructions that it should be
                 used to answer the questions of the children in years to come
                for educational purposes. (See Joshua 4:19-24.) This was an
                appropriate location for a school of the prophets. Here music
                 was part of the curriculum.
                   "Music was made to serve a holy purpose, to lift the thoughts
                to that which is pure, noble, and elevating, and to awaken in the
                soul devotion and gratitude to God. What a contrast between
                the ancient custom and the uses to which music is now too
                often devoted! How many employ this gift to exalt self, instead
                of using it to glorify God! A love for music leads the unwary to
                unite with world lovers in pleasure gatherings where God has
                forbidden His children to go. Thus that which is a great blessing
                when rightly used, becomes one of the most successful agen-
                cies by which Satan allures the mind from duty and from the
                contemplation of eternal things.
                   "Music forms a part of God's worship in the courts above, and
                we should endeavor, in our songs of praise, to approach as
                nearly as possible to the harmony of the heavenly choirs. The
                proper training of the voice is an important feature in education
                and should not be neglected."—Patriarchs and Prophets,
                p. 594. Sacred music (1) fixes God's word in memory; (2) has
                power to subdue rude and uncultivated natures: (3) has power
                to quicken thought and to awaken sympathy; (4) promotes
                harmony of action; (5) banishes the gloom and foreboding that
                destroys courage and weakens effort. (See Education, pp. 167,
                168.)
                   "The value of song as a means of education should never be
                lost sight of. Let there be singing in the home, of songs that are
                sweet and pure, and there will be fewer words of censure and
                more of cheerfulness and hope and joy. Let there be singing in
                the school, and the pupils will be drawn closer to God, to their
                teachers, and to one another."—Education, p. 168.

                  Elisha, the miracle-working prophet, is often referred to as
              the symbol or type of Christ, just as Elijah, his predecessor, was
              the type of John the Baptist. As a teacher in the schools of the
              prophets, he knew the value of constant companionship with
              his students in the formation of character. This was the method
              chosen by Christ, and should be one of the main considerations
              in providing dormitories in our academies and colleges. A very
              special responsibility rests upon the deans to create the atmos-
              phere of a Christian home for those who are away from home.
                  "The most complete illustration of Christ's methods as a
              teacher is found in His training of the twelve first disciples. Upon
              these men were to rest weighty responsibilities. He had chosen
              them as men whom He could imbue with His Spirit, and who
              could be fitted to carry forward His work on earth when He
              should leave it. To them, above all others, He gave the advan-
              tage of His own companionship. . . .
                  " ... The Twelve first chosen, with a few others who through
              ministry to their needs were from time to time connected with
              them, formed the family of Jesus. They were with Him in the
              house, at the table, in the closet, in the field. They accompanied
              Him on His journeys, shared His trials and hardships, and, as
              much as in them was, entered into His work.
                  "Sometimes He taught them as they sat together on the
              mountainside, sometimes beside the sea, or from the fisher-
               man's boat, sometimes as they walked by the way. Whenever He
               spoke to the multitude, the disciples formed the inner
               circle."—Education, pp. 84, 85.
                  Early in the history of Seventh-day Adventist education stu-
               dents were left to make their own living arrangements. But
               divine direction was given to make school homes a part of the
               educational process: "Our school homes have been estab-
               lished that our youth may not be left to drift hither and thither,
               and be exposed to the evil influences which everywhere
               abound; but that, as far as possible, a home atmosphere may be
               provided that they may be preserved from temptations to im-
               morality and be led to Jesus."—Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 168.

                                                                               45

                  Elisha personally participated in procuring lumber for expan-
               sion of the living quarters at this school of the prophets. He is an
               example for teachers today. Instruction was given in 1902 to
               those who were leading in the establishment of secondary edu-
               cation in California that "our teachers should not think that
               their work ends with giving instruction from books. Several
               hours each day should be devoted to working with the students
               in some line of manual training. In no case should this be
               neglected."—Counsels to Teachers, p. 211.
                  "Useful manual labor is a part of the gospel plan. The Great
               Teacher, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud, gave directions to
               Israel that every youth should be taught some line of useful
               employment. Therefore it was the custom of the Jews, the
                wealthy as well as the poorer classes, to teach their sons and
               daughters some useful trade, so that, should adverse cir-
               cumstances arise, they would not be dependent upon others,
               but would be able to provide for their own necessities."—
               Counsels to Teachers, p. 307.
                 "Various industries should be carried on in our schools. The
               industrial instruction given should include the keeping of ac-
               counts, carpentry, and all that is comprehended in farming.
               Preparation should be made for the teaching of blacksmithing,
               painting, shoemaking, and for cooking, baking, washing, mend-
               ing, typewriting, and printing. . . .
                   . . . Under the guidance of experienced workmen, carpen-
               ters who are apt to teach, patient, and kind, the youth should be
               taught how to build substantially and economically. Cottages
               and other buildings essential to the various lines of schoolwork
               are to be erected by the students themselves."—Counsels to
               Teachers, pp. 310, 311.

                 What incident demonstrated God's concern for the working
               students? 2 Kings 6:5-7.

                 "There accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of
               the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of
               Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus"
               (Acts 20:4).

                  The first young helper mentioned in connection with Paul's
               work was John Mark, Barnabas's nephew. "Mark proposed to
               Paul and Barnabas that he should accompany them on their
               missionary tour. He felt the favor of God in his heart and longed
               to devote himself entirely to the work of the gospel ministry."—
               The Acts of the Apostles, p. 167. The first experience was not
               eminently successful, and Paul was displeased when Mark
               turned back in the face of difficulties. But Paul later sent for
               Mark; the story ended well. (See Col. 4:10 and 2 Tim. 4:11.)
                  On that same first missionary journey Paul met Timothy at
               Lystra. On the second journey, returning to the same place,
               "Paul saw that Timothy was faithful, steadfast, and true, and he
               chose him as a companion in labor and travel. Those who had
               taught Timothy in his childhood were rewarded by seeing the
               son of their care linked in close fellowship with the great
               apostle."—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 203.
                  By the time we come to the lesson text for today, on Paul's
               third missionary journey, he had at least seven young men with
               him in addition to Silas and Luke; Titus, not mentioned in Acts
                20, had gone ahead to Corinth, as indicated in Second Corin-
                thians. (See SDA Bible Dictionary, p. 1104.)
                  "This feature of Paul's work contains an important lesson for
               ministers today. The apostle made it a part of his work to edu-
               cate young men for the office of the ministry. He took them with
               him on his missionary journeys, and thus they gained an experi-
               ence that later enabled them to fill positions of responsibility.
               When separated from them, he still kept in touch with their
                work, and his letters to Timothy and to Titus are evidences of
                how deep was his desire for their success.
                   "Experienced workers today do a noble work when, instead
                of trying to carry all the burdens themselves, they train younger
                workers and place burdens on their shoulders."—The Acts of
               the Apostles, pp. 367, 368.

                                                                              47

 FURTHER STUDY      The Desire of Ages, pp. 364-371.

                "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto
              you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but be-
              cause ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for
              the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth
              unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you:
              for him hath God the Father sealed" (John 6:26, 27).

                Important things happened between the miracle of feeding
              the five thousand and the discourse on the bread of life. The
              intervening evening had seen Jesus frustrate the intent of
              stormy men to make Him king. The night had seen Him come to
              the aid of His disciples in a stormy night on the lake. This was a
              critical moment in Jesus' life—the peak of popularity was to be
              followed by falling shadows as people realized the spiritual
              nature of His mission and turned away.
                The contrast between the "meat that perisheth" and the
              "meat which endureth unto everlasting life was dramatically
              presented to Ellen White in a vision of a group discussing
              education:
                 "There was a hush in the assembly, and conviction came
              upon each heart. Men who had thought themselves wise and
              strong saw that they were weak and lacking in the knowledge of
              that Book which concerns the eternal destiny of the human
              soul.
                 "The messenger of God then took from the hands of several
              teachers those books which they had been making their study,
              some of which had been written by infidel authors and con-
              tained infidel sentiments, and laid them aside, saying: 'There
              never has been a time in your lives when the study of these
              books was for your present good and advancement, or for your
              future, eternal good. Why will you fill your shelves with books
              that divert the mind from Christ? Why do you spend money for
              that which is not bread? Christ calls you: "Learn of Me; for I am
              meek and lowly in heart." You need to eat of the Bread of life
              which came down from heaven. You need to be more diligent
              students of the Holy Scriptures and to drink from the living
              Fountain. Draw, draw from Christ in earnest prayer. Obtain a
              daily experience in eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the
              Son of God. Human authors can never supply your great need
              for this time; but by beholding Christ, the Author and Finisher of
              your faith, you will be changed into His likeness."—
              Testimonies, vol. 6, pp. 164, 165.

                                                                              51

                     Look at the context. The people who had seen Jesus feed the
                  five thousand referred to their past history: "Our fathers did eat
                  manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from
                  heaven to eat" (verse 31). They looked for a Messiah that would
                  free them from Roman rule, as Moses had freed their ancestors
                  from Egyptian slavery.
                     Jesus' reply was, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave
                  you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the
                  true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which
                  cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world"
                  (verses 32, 33).
                     "The life of Christ that gives life to the world is in His word. It
                  was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons;
                  by His word He stilled the sea, and raised the dead; and the
                  people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the
                  word of God, as He had spoken through all the prophets and
                  teachers of the Old Testament. The whole Bible is a manifesta-
                  tion of Christ, and the Saviour desired to fix the faith of His
                  followers on the word. When His visible presence should be
                  withdrawn, the word must be their source of power. Like their
                  Master, they were to live 'by every word that proceedeth out of
                  the mouth of God.' Matt. 4:4."—The Desire of Ages, p. 390.
                     "The springs of heavenly peace and joy, unsealed in the soul
                  of the teacher by the words of Inspiration, will become a mighty
                  river of influence to bless all who connect with him. The Bible
                  will not become a tiresome book to the student. Under a wise
                  instructor the word will become more and more desirable. It will
                  be as the bread of life, and will never grow old. Its freshness and
                  beauty will attract and charm the children and youth. It is like the
                  sun shining upon the earth, perpetually imparting brightness
                  and warmth, yet never exhausted.
                     "God's holy, educating Spirit is in His word. A light, a new and
                  precious light, shines forth from every page. Truth is there
                  revealed, and words and sentences are made bright and ap-
                  propriate for the occasion, as the voice of God speaking to the
                  soul. . .
                       . . . There will grow in the fruitful mind a familiarity with
                  divine things that will be as a barricade against temptation."—
                  Christ's Object Lessons, p. 132.

 FURTHER STUDY      The Desire of Ages, pp. 389-394.

                                                                             53

 FURTHER STUDY      Education, pp. 123-127.

                   Not only in receiving, but in giving, there is life. Jesus' prayer
                life and His study of the Scriptures was complemented by an
                active ministry to others. Jesus was refreshed by finding in the
                Samaritan woman a receptive audience. (See John 4:31-34.)
                The three paragraphs that follow illustrate: (1) the active wit-
                ness that characterizes the life in Christ; (2) the thirst for the
                Word within the church; and (3) the thirst for the Word in the
                world at large.
                   1. "Christ's gracious presence in His word is ever speaking to
                the soul, representing Him as the well of living water to refresh
                the thirsting soul. It is our privilege to have a living, abiding
                Saviour. He is the source of spiritual power implanted within us,
                and His influence will flow forth in words and actions, refresh-
                ing all within the sphere of our influence, begetting in them
                desires and aspirations for strength and purity, for holiness and
                peace, and for that joy which brings no sorrow with it. This is the
                result of an indwelling Saviour."—Testimonies to Ministers,
                p. 390.
                   2. "If the people of God would appreciate His word, we should
                have a heaven in the church here below. Christians would be
                eager, hungry, to search the word. They would be anxious for
                time to compare scripture with scripture and to meditate upon
                the word. They would be more eager for the light of the word
                than for the morning paper, magazines, or novels. Their
                greatest desire would be to eat the flesh and drink the blood of
                the Son of God. And as a result their lives would be conformed
                to the principles and promises of the word. Its instruction would
                be to them as the leaves of the tree of life. It would be in them a
                 well of water, springing up into everlasting life."—Testimonies,
                vol. 8, p. 193.
                   3. "The hearts of many in the world as well as many church
                members are hungering for the bread of life and thirsting for the
                 waters of salvation. They are interested in the service of song,
                 but they are not longing for that or even prayer. They want to
                 know the Scriptures. What saith the Word of God to me? The
                 Holy Spirit is working on mind and heart, drawing them to the
                 bread of life. They see everything round them changing. Human
                 feelings, human ideas of what constitutes religion, change.
                 They come to hear the Word just as it reads."—Evangelism,
                 p. 501.

                                                                                  55

    Part 2      Through whom does the Father reveal to His "babes" the
 REVEALED     things that have been hidden from the "wise" and "prudent"?
 THROUGH
   CHRIST       "All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man
              knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the
              Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will
              reveal him" (Matt. 11:27).

                 Christ is the channel through whom knowledge of the Father
              and of the universe over which the Father presides is conveyed
              to the "babes" (verse 25).
                 "In the Teacher sent from God, all true educational work finds
              its center. Of this work today as verily as of the work He estab-
              lished eighteen hundred years ago, the Saviour speaks in the
              words—
                 " 'I am the First and the Last, and the Living One.'
                 " 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.'
              Revelation 1:17, R.V.; 21:6, R.V.
                 "In the presence of such a Teacher, of such opportunity for
              divine education, what worse than folly is it to seek an education
              apart from Him—to seek to be wise apart from Wisdom; to be
              true while rejecting Truth; to seek illumination apart from the
              Light, and existence without the Life; to turn from the Fountain
              of living waters, and hew out broken cisterns, that can hold no
              water.
                 "Behold, He is still inviting: 'If any man thirst, let him come
              unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture
               hath said,' out of him 'shall flow rivers of living water.' The
               water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water
               springing up unto eternal life.' John 7:37, 38; 4:14, R.V."—
              Education, p. 83.
                     "Like the woman at the well I was seeking
                     For things that could not satisfy;
                     And then I heard my Savior speaking:
                     'Draw from My well that never shall run dry.'
                     Fill my cup, Lord,—I lift it up, Lord!
                     Come and quench this thirsting of my soul;
                     Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more—
                     Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!"
                                                    —Richard Blanchard.*


              *From Songs That Touch the Heart, No. 5. ©1959 by Richard Blanchard.
              Assigned to Sacred Songs (a division of Word, Inc.). All rights reserved.
              Used by permission.

                                                                                    59

                        The Sabbath is the day of rest, and the word in Hebrew means
                     "rest." The word "sabbath" is interchangeable with other
                     words for rest in many settings. The word used in the above text
                     is broader than the Sabbath rest, but can be understood as
                    including it.
                       Care must be taken to distinguish between the ceremonial
                    sabbaths, and the weekly Sabbath of the fourth commandment.
                    The latter is more completely and permanently appropriate to
                    the rest of the soul referred to in verse 29. Jesus Himself links
                    learning, learning of Him, with this rest of the soul.
                        "The Sabbath and the family were alike instituted in Eden,
                    and in God's purpose they are indissolubly linked together. On
                    this day more than on any other, it is possible for us to live the
                    life of Eden. It was God's plan for the members of the family to
                    be associated in work and study, in worship and recreation, the
                    father as priest of his household, and both father and mother as
                    teachers and companions of their children. But the results of
                    sin, having changed the conditions of life, to a great degree
                    prevent this association. Often the father hardly sees the faces
                    of his children throughout the week. He is almost wholly de-
                    prived of opportunity for companionship or instruction. But
                    God's love has set a limit to the demands of toil. Over the
                    Sabbath He places His merciful hand. In His own day He pre-
                    serves for the family opportunity for communion with Him, with
                    nature, and with one another."—Education, pp. 250-251.
                       Because so many Adventist families have not sent their chil-
                    dren to the church school, they should make their family wor-
                    ships and the Sabbath an especially fascinating experience for
                    their children. How else can they even hope to see them safely
                    through the gates into God's kingdom? The children's Sabbath
                    School should have the very best talent in the church, and
                    ample financing to provide room decorations, felt craft illustra-
                    tions, attendance and offering devices, a well-tuned piano, and
                    other needed equipment. The Sabbath sermon should have a
                    corner for the children, and the whole sermon should be simple
                    enough for the older children to understand it. A good minister
                    knows that Jesus said to Peter, "Feed my lambs."

 FURTHER STUDY       Testimonies, vol. 6, pp. 353-359.

                 The Sabbath is Christ's day, for man to use to His glory.
                 "An All-wise Creator knew that man, the creature of His hand,
              needed opportunity for moral and spiritual growth, for charac-
              ter development. He needed time in which his own interests and
              pursuits should be subordinated to a study of the character and
              will of God as revealed in nature, and later, in revelation. The
              seventh-day Sabbath was ordained of God to meet this need....
                 "God ordained that the Sabbath should be a blessing, not a
              burden, and it is to man's interest and not his injury to observe it.
              It was designed to increase his happiness, not to work a hard-
              ship on him. Sabbathkeeping does not consist essentially in the
              petty observance of certain formalities and in abstention from
              certain pursuits; to think of it in this light is to miss completely
              the true spirit and objectives of Sabbath observance and to
              engage in the pursuit of righteousness based on works. We
              refrain from certain tasks, from certain pursuits, from certain
              topics of thought and conversation, not because that by so
              doing we think to win favor with God. We refrain from these
              things in order that we may devote our time, our energies, and
              our thought to other pursuits that will increase our understand-
              ing of God, our appreciation-of His goodness, our capacity to
              cooperate with Him, and our ability to serve Him and our fellow
               men more effectively."—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 588.
                 "We can walk out with them [our children] in the open air; we
               can sit with them in the groves and in the bright sunshine, and
               give their restless minds something to feed upon by conversing
               with them upon the works of God, and can inspire them with
               love and reverence by calling their attention to the beautiful
               objects in nature.
                  "The Sabbath should be made so interesting to our families
               that its weekly return will be hailed with joy. In no better way can
               parents exalt and honor the Sabbath than by devising means to
               impart proper instruction to their families and interesting them
               in spiritual things, giving them correct views of the character of
               God and what He requires of us in order to perfect Christian
               characters and attain to eternal life. Parents, make the Sabbath
               a delight, that your children may look forward to it and have a
               welcome in their hearts for it."—Testimonies, vol. 2, pp. 584,
               585.

                    Jesus was already a young man of thirty when He read the
                  day's scripture in the synagogue of his home town. But His
                  "custom," already established, dated from childhood.
                    As they listen to the sermon, parents and children may note
                  the texts quoted and the line of thought, to be repeated to one
                  another at home. This helps relieve weariness for little ones, and
                  cultivates in parents and children the habit of attention and
                  connected thought. Undreamed-of treasures will open to the
                  minds of both, and they will have a new experience:
                    "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was
                  unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart" (Jer. 15:16).
                    "I will meditate in thy statutes" (Ps. 119:48).
                    "More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine
                 gold. . . . Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in
                 keeping of them there is great reward" (Ps. 19:10, 11).
                    "To the humble, believing soul, the house of God on earth is
                 the gate of heaven. The song of praise, the prayer, the words
                 spoken by Christ's representatives, are God's appointed agen-
                 cies to prepare a people for the church above, for that loftier
                 worship into which there can enter nothing that defileth.
                    "From the sacredness which was attached to the earthly
                 sanctuary, Christians may learn how they should regard the
                 place where the Lord meets with His people. There has been a
                 great change, not for the better, but for the worse, in the habits
                 and customs of the people in reference to religious worship.
                 The precious, the sacred, things which connect us with God are
                 fast losing their hold upon our minds and hearts, and are being
                 brought down to the level of common things. The reverence
                 which the people had anciently for the sanctuary where they
                 met with God in sacred service has largely passed away.
                 Nevertheless, God Himself gave the order of His service, exalt-
                 ing it high above everything of a temporal nature."—
                 Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 491.

 FURTHER STUDY    Testimonies, vol. 6, pp. 364-368.

     Part 6     When the Sabbath of eternity begins in the new earth, what    THE SABBATH    will be the activity of the redeemed each Sabbath day?    OF ETERNITY
                "As the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make,
              shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and
              your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one
              new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall
              all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord" (Isa.
              66:22, 23).

                 "In this life we can only begin to understand the wonderful
              theme of redemption. With our finite comprehension we may
              consider most earnestly the shame and the glory, the life and
              the death, the justice and the mercy, that meet in the cross; yet
              with the utmost stretch of our mental powers we fail to grasp its
              full significance. The length and the breadth, the depth and the
              height, of redeeming love are but dimly comprehended. The
              plan of redemption will not be fully understood, even when the
              ransomed see as they are seen and know as they are known; but
              through the eternal ages new truth will continually unfold to the
              wondering and delighted mind. Though the griefs and pains
              and temptations of earth are ended and the cause removed, the
               people of God will ever have a distinct, intelligent knowledge of
               what their salvation has cost.
                  "The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the
               redeemed through all eternity. In Christ glorified they will be-
               hold Christ crucified. Never will it be forgotten that He whose
               power created and upheld the unnumbered worlds through the
               vast realms of space, the Beloved of God, the Majesty of heaven,
               He whom cherub and shining seraph delighted to adore—
               humbled Himself to uplift fallen man; that He bore the guilt and
               shame of sin, and the hiding of His Father's face, till the woes of
               a lost world broke His heart and crushed out His life on Calvary's
               cross. That the Maker of all worlds, the Arbiter of all destinies,
               should lay aside His glory and humiliate Himself from love to
               man will ever excite the wonder and adoration of the universe.
               As the nations of the saved look upon their Redeemer and
               behold the eternal glory of the Father shining in His counte-
               nance; as they behold His throne, which is from everlasting to
               everlasting, and know that His kingdom is to have no end, they
                break forth in rapturous song."—The Great Controversy, p. 651.

                                                                               63

                "Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they
              shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write
              them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates" (Deut.
              6:8, 9).

                 God directed that the Israelites write His commandments on
              the posts of the house and on the gates. He told Habakkuk to
              "Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run
              that readeth it" (2:2). These directions had the purpose of etch-
              ing His message on the sensitive film of the mind through the
              sharply focused lenses of the human eye. The result would
              affect the entire person.
                 "Some efforts have been made to interest children in the
              cause, but not enough. Our Sabbath schools should be made
              more interesting. The public schools have of late years greatly
              improved their methods of teaching. Object lessons, pictures,
              and blackboards are used to make difficult lessons clear to the
              youthful mind. Just so may present truth be simplified and made
              intensely interesting to the active minds of the children. . . .
                 " ... The modes of teaching which have been adopted with
              such success in the public schools could be employed with
              similar results in the Sabbath schools, and be the means of
              bringing children to Jesus and educating them in Bible truth.
              This will do far more good than religious excitement of an
              emotional character, that passes off as rapidly as it comes."—
              Counsels on Sabbath School Work, pp. 114, 115.
                 Teachers today should be quick to adapt truth to enter
              through the eye-gate. "The use of object lessons, blackboards,
              maps, and pictures, will be an aid in explaining these lessons,
              and fixing them in the memory. Parents and teachers should
              constantly seek for improved methods. The teaching of the
              Bible should have our freshest thought, our best methods, and
              our most earnest effort."—Education, p. 186.
                 "In His [Jesus'] teaching were embraced the things of time
              and the things of eternity—things seen, in their relation to
               things unseen."—Education, p. 82. But He did not depend on a
               complicated maze of mechanical gadgets for His audiovisual
               penetration of the mind. Ready-made before Him were the
               world of nature and the experiences of life. And the greatest
               audiovisual resource of all is still within reach of every parent or
               teacher—the radiant face of a truly born-again Christian.

                                                                                67

                     "Three times a year seasons were appointed for social inter-
                  course and worship. First at Shiloh, and afterward at Jerusalem,
                  these gatherings were held. Only the fathers and sons were
                  required to be present; but none desired to forgo the oppor-
                  tunities of the feasts, and, so far as possible, all the household
                  were in attendance; and with them, as sharers of their hospital-
                  ity, were the stranger, the Levite, and the poor."—Education,
                 pp. 41, 42.
                     The three feasts were the Passover, the Feast of Pentecost,
                 and the Feast of Tabernacles. The first two were in the
                 springtime and early summer, the latter in the fall. "By the
                 devout in Israel, fully a month of every year was occupied in this
                 way. It was a period free from care and labor, and almost wholly
                 devoted, in the truest sense, to purposes of education."—
                 Education, p. 43.
                     Adventist camp meetings and youth congresses and large
                 outdoor gatherings such as are held in Africa can be made to
                 provide educational experiences like those God gave to ancient
                 Israel:
                     "The journey to Jerusalem, in the simple, patriarchal style,
                 amidst the beauty of the springtime, the richness of midsum-
                 mer, or the ripened glory of autumn, was a delight. With offer-
                 ings of gratitude they came, from the man of white hairs to the
                 little child, to meet with God in His holy habitation. As they
                 journeyed, the experiences of the past, the stories that both old
                 and young still love so well, were recounted to the Hebrew
                 children. The songs that had cheered the wilderness wandering
                 were sung. God's commandments were chanted, and, bound
                 up with the blessed influences of nature and of kindly human
                 association, they were forever fixed in the memory of many a
                 child and youth."—Education, p. 42.

 FURTHER STUDY     Education, pp. 41-43.

                  The hours spent in formal schooling are only a portion of the
               student's total experience. Many educators feel that it is an
               injustice to expect of the school that it should be responsible for
               education in its full, true sense. Rather, they believe, the school
               should analyze the experience of the child in the home and in
               society. Then it should provide those learning experiences that
               he might otherwise miss, or which can best be given to him in an
               organized way in school. He will obtain everything considered
               important to his success and happiness.
                  Parents and pastors and all others who share with teachers
               the burden for the youth of the church should realize how
               influential the environment is outside the school. Be aware of
               the pictures on the wall, the magazines and books in the den or
               recreation room, the TV and radio programs, the newspaper,
               the conversation at the dinner table, the children's corner in the
               sermon, the Pathfinder club, and the children's Sabbath
               School.
                  Even among good things, the Christian must choose the best.
               And young people have their own choices to make. "Dear youth,
               cease to read the magazines containing stories. Put away every
               novel.. . . We would do well to clear our houses of all the story
               magazines and the publications containing ridiculous
               pictures—representations originated by satanic agencies. The
               youth cannot afford to poison their minds with such things.
                'What is the chaff to the wheat?' Let every one who claims to be
               a follower of Christ read only that which is true and of eternal
               value.
                   "We must prepare ourselves for most solemn duties. A world
                is to be saved.... In view of the great work to be done, how can
                any one afford to waste precious time and God-given means in
                doing those things that are not for his best good or for the glory
                of God?"—Messages to Young People, p. 286.

                                                                               69

                    "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by
                  the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
                  good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:2).

                     A vivid experiment often performed in the physics laboratory
                  has impressed many students with a dramatic demonstration of
                  atmospheric pressure. A five-gallon kerosene can could be
                  stood on and even jumped on without visibly deforming it. But
                  when a vacuum pump was attached to it and the air inside was
                  removed, the can crumpled into a flattened mass of metal. It
                  caved in under a column of air that reaches up 50,000 feet or
                  more from the surface of the earth. All that normally kept the can
                  intact was the pressure inside that equaled the pressure from
                  the outside.
                     "We have a work to do to resist temptation. Those who would
                  not fall a prey to Satan's devices must guard well the avenues of
                 the soul; they must avoid reading, seeing, or hearing that which
                  will suggest impure thoughts."—Messages to Young People,
                 p. 285.
                    It is evident that the avenues of the soul are the five senses,
                  which must be guarded as are the approaches to a castle or the
                 airlanes into a modern metropolitan area in time of war.
                    It is not enough to select what is true. Even the news and
                 history past and present will be filtered by the Christian. "Books
                 on sensational topics, published and circulated as a money-
                 making scheme, might better never be read by the youth. There
                 is a satanic fascination in such books. The heartsickening re-
                 cital of crimes and atrocities has a bewitching power upon
                 many, exciting them to see what they can do to bring themselves
                 into notice, even by the wickedest deeds. The enormities, the
                 cruelties, the licentious practices, portrayed in some of the
                 strictly historical writings have acted as leaven on many minds,
                 leading to the commission of similar acts. . . .
                    " ... These horrible particulars need not be lived over, and no
                 one who believes the truth for this time should act a part in
                 perpetuating the memory of them."—Messages to Young
                 People, p. 284.

 FURTHER STUDY     Education, pp. 38, 39.

                 In the early days of Western education children were often
              required to practice handwriting by copying the same line many
              times over. A child might do well the first time he imitated the
              model written for him at the top of the sheet by the teacher. But
              if he modeled the third line on the second, and the fourth on the
              third, et cetera, the last might be totally distorted and unrecog-
              nizable. How important to keep the eye on the top line, on the
              perfect model!
                 Ellen White's appeal to church leaders might well apply to
              every Christian who teaches others: "0 that I could command
              language of sufficient force to make the impression that I wish
              to make upon my fellow-laborers in the gospel. My brethren,
              you are handling the words of life; you are dealing with minds
              that are capable of the highest development. Christ crucified,
              Christ risen, Christ ascended into the heavens, Christ coming
              again, should so soften, gladden, and fill the mind of the minis-
              ter that he will present these truths to the people in love and
              deep earnestness. The minister will then be lost sight of and
              Jesus will be made manifest.
                 "Lift up Jesus, you that teach the people, lift Him up in ser-
              mon, in song, in prayer. Let all your powers be directed to
              pointing souls, confused, bewildered, lost, to the 'Lamb of God.'
              Lift Him up, the risen Saviour, and say to all who hear, Come to
              Him who 'hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us.' Let the
              science of salvation be the burden of every sermon, the theme
              of every song. Let it be poured forth in every supplication. Bring
              nothing into your preaching to supplement Christ, the wisdom
              and power of God. Hold forth the word of life, presenting Jesus
              as the hope of the penitent and the stronghold of every believer.
              Reveal the way of peace to the troubled and the despondent,
              and show forth the grace and completeness of the Saviour."—
              Gospel Workers, pp. 159, 160.

                                                                              71

 FURTHER STUDY      Education, pp. 73-75.

                 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto
               thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
               of God" (John 3:3).

                  The new birth represents a complete change in the direction
               of one's life, a radical change far deeper than external be-
               havioral objectives so popular in current educational vocab-
               ularies. It represents a complete change in motivation, a new
               fountain for the stream of human life. Paul represents it, in
               Romans 6, as the death of the old life and a resurrection to new
               life, symbolized in baptism by immersion. The new life was
               exemplified in Jesus' own conduct, and, in the Sermon on the
               Mount, He also described in words the characteristics of the
               citizens in the kingdom He had come to establish.
                  "The beatitudes were His greeting to the whole human family.
               Looking upon the vast throng gathered to listen to the Sermon
               on the Mount, He seemed for the moment to have forgotten that
               He was not in heaven, and He used the familiar salutation of the
               world of light. From His lips flowed blessings as the gushing
               forth of a long-sealed fountain."—Education, p. 79.
                  The new life that follows the new birth is, of course, the
               embodiment in human life of the life of God, the life of love for
               others expressed in the two tables of the law, which Jesus not
               only identified for the scribe who queried Him about the
               greatest commandment, but applied in His explanation of the
               spiritual nature of the law in Matthew 5.
                  As Michelangelo could see a Moses in the rock from the
               quarry, so Jesus could see beneath a rough exterior the promise
               of a reborn son of God. "In the light of His purity, men saw
               themselves unclean, their life's aims mean and false. Yet He
               drew them. He who had created man, understood the value of
               humanity.... In every human being, however fallen, He beheld a
               son of God, one who might be restored to the privilege of his
               divine relationship.
                  " 'God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world;
               but that the world through Him might be saved.' John 3:17."—
               Education, p. 79.

                                                                             75

                   "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John
                 17:17).

                    The new life following the new birth is a progressive growth
                 toward likeness to the character of God.
                    To sanctify is to make holy; and to be holy is to be "spiritually
                 whole, sound, or perfect: of unimpaired innocence or proved
                 virtue: pure in heart: godly: pious."—Webster's Third New In-
                 ternational Dictionary, unabridged.
                    "He who is being sanctified by the truth will be self-
                 controlled, and will follow in the footsteps of Christ until grace
                 is lost in glory. The righteousness by which we are justified is
                 imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is im-
                 parted. The first is our title to heaven, the second is our fitness
                 for heaven."—Messages to Young People, p. 35.
                    Much is made in the educational world today of education's
                 objectives in the areas of knowledge, attitudes, and skills.
                    It is encouraging to see educators state these objectives in
                 terms of the students' behavior rather than the students' words.
                    The paragraph quoted above also contains these sentences:
                 "Righteousness within is testified to by righteousness without.
                 He who is righteous within is not hard-hearted and unsympa-
                 thetic, but day by day he grows into the image of Christ, going
                 on from strength to strength."—Page 35.
                    "Erroneous theories of sanctification, . . . springing from
                 neglect or rejection of the divine law, have a prominent place in
                 the religious movements of the day. These theories are both
                 false in doctrine and dangerous in practical results; and the fact
                 that they are so generally finding favor, renders it doubly essen-
                 tial that all have a clear understanding of what the Scriptures
                 teach upon this point. . . .
                    " ... And since the law of God is 'holy, and just, and good,' a
                 transcript of the divine perfection, it follows that a character
                 formed by obedience to that law will be holy. Christ is a perfect
                 example of such a character. He says: 'I have kept My Father's
                 commandments.' I do always those things that please Him.'
                 John 15:10; 8:29. The followers of Christ are to become like
                 Him—by the grace of God to form characters in harmony with
                 the principles of His holy law. This is Bible sanctification."—The
                 Great Controversy, p. 469.

                 "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in
               thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may
               believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:21).

                 The parable or illustration of the vine, to which Jesus had
               pointed the disciples earlier, on the same evening of the inter-
               cessory prayer from which our key text is taken, emphasized the
               necessity of union between Christ, the vine, and His disciples,
               the branches.
                 They were walking in the light of the paschal full moon from
               the upper chamber toward Gethsemane. This was the eve of
               their "graduation" from the school of Christ, and their "com-
               mencement" in their further training under His Holy Spirit.
               Jesus knew of the selfish striving that had divided them before
               the supper, and He longed for the achievement of this important
               goal of unity before sending them into a world divided by lan-
               guage and race and culture and sinful human nature.
                  Today rapid transportation, as well as other types of com-
               munication, make even more obvious the divided nature of the
               world. In view of this, Jesus' prayer takes on new meaning in the
               context of the world church.
                  "Christ sought to teach the disciples the truth that in God's
               kingdom there are no territorial lines, no caste, no aristocracy;
               that they must go to all nations, bearing to them the message of
               a Saviour's love. But not until later did they realize in all its
               fullness that God 'hath made of one blood all nations of men for
               to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the
               times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that
               they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and
               find Him, though He be not far from every one of us.' Acts
               17:26, 27.
                  "In these first disciples was presented marked diversity. They
               were to be the world's teachers, and they represented widely
               varied types of character. In order successfully to carry forward
               the work to which they had been called, these men, differing in
               natural characteristics and in habits of life, needed to come into
               unity of feeling, thought, and action. This unity it was Christ's
               object to secure."—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 20.

                                                                              77

                 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one
               another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another"
               (John 13:34).

                  The steps in mental perception are often listed in the follow-
               ing progression, from the simple to the complex: knowledge,
               comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evalua-
               tion. Jesus' objective for His disciples, that they should love one
               another, obviously was and is attained at various levels.
                  There are four kinds of love: (1) Love of self for the sake of self
               (narcissism) evokes no returned love from anyone. (2) Love of
               others for the sake of self, which abounds in the world and in the
               church—kind words are spoken, a compliment is paid, flowers
               or candy are given, with the conscious or unconscious desire of
               being loved in return. (3) Love of others for the sake of others,
               which is the love Jesus came to the world to teach and
               exemplify—the Christian's own emotional needs are fully satis-
               fied in Christ, and he can love and give without expecting
               anything in return. (4) Love of self for the sake of others—the
               coming apart to rest, the taking of the vacation, the temperance
               in work and eating—this is motivated by the knowledge that the
               happiness of others depends on the results of these actions
               taken in fulfillment of God's instructions to His workers.
                  The statement that "the truths of the divine word can be best
               appreciated by an intellectual Christian" (Counsels to
               Teachers, p. 361) should lead us to seek to love not only with all
               the heart but also with the mind and the whole being. (See Matt.
               22:36-40.)
                  "To the disciples this commandment was new; for they had
               not loved one another as Christ had loved them. He saw that
               new ideas and impulses must control them; that new principles
               must be practiced by them; through His life and death they were
               to receive a new conception of love. The command to love one
               another had a new meaning in the light of His self-sacrifice. The
               whole work of grace is one continual service of love, of self-
               denying, self-sacrificing effort. During every hour of Christ's
               sojourn upon the earth, the love of God was flowing from Him in
               irrepressible streams. All who are imbued with His Spirit will
               love as He loved."—The Desire of Ages, pp. 677, 678.

                 Some Christians are defensive or embarrassed about their
              church schools because they think in terms of buildings or
              facilities, which may not appear to be as splendid as multimil-
              lion dollar plants built with public funds.
                 On the contrary, they should realize that the scope of Chris-
              tian education is much broader both in function and in time
              than public education is designed to be. Speaking of the world's
              education at large, and of the limited thinking of many Chris-
              tians, God's messenger says (in a book which has been recog-
              nized by governments to be valid enough to be printed on
              government presses and distributed by governments to their
              teachers):
                 "Our ideas of education take too narrow and too low a range.
              There is need of a broader scope, a higher aim. True education
              means more than the pursuel of a certain course of study. It
              means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to
              do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence
              possible to man."—Education, p. 13.
                 The whole being is amplified to mean "the harmonious de-
              velopment of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual
              powers." The whole period of existence possible to man is
              referred to when the statement is made that education "pre-
              pares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the
              higher joy of wider service in the world to come."
                 The same book, on page 82, describes the teaching of Jesus:
               "In His teaching were embraced the things of time and the
              things of eternity—things seen, in their relation to things un-
               seen, the passing incidents of common life and the solemn
              issues of the life to come.
                 "The things of this life He placed in their true relation, as
               subordinate to those of eternal interest; but He did not ignore
              their importance. He taught that heaven and earth are linked
               together, and that a knowledge of divine truth prepares man
               better to perform the duties of daily life."

                                                                             79

                 About forty examples of Jesus' parables have been preserved
              for us in Scripture. These stories disarmed prejudice, caught
              the attention, and in a delayed-action sequence drove home
              their meaning after Jesus was no longer present, when the
              scenes of nature or the events to which He had linked spiritual
              truth were repeated in aftertime.
                 "His messages of mercy were varied to suit His audience. He
              knew 'how to speak a word in season to him who is weary' (Isa.
              50:4); for grace was poured upon His lips, that He might convey
              to men in the most attractive way the treasures of truth. He had
              tact to meet the prejudiced minds, and surprise them with illus-
              trations that won their attention. Through the imagination He
              reached the heart. His illustrations were taken from the things of
              daily life, and although they were simple, they had in them a
              wonderful depth of meaning. The birds of the air, the lilies of the
              field, the seed, the shepherd and the sheep,—with these objects
              Christ illustrated immortal truth; and ever afterward, when His
              hearers chanced to see these things of nature, they recalled His
               words. Christ's illustrations constantly repeated His lessons."
              —The Desire of Ages, p. 254.

               What was one of the reasons why Jesus used this powerful
              means of conveying truth? Matt. 13:13-15.

                 Jesus quoted from Isaiah 6:9, 10, as Paul did, to describe the
              besotted condition of people's minds, which required a very
              special, captivating approach. The enemy had created this con-
              dition lest they "should understand with their heart, and should
              be converted, and I should heal them." Isaiah was assured that a
              remnant would hear and be saved, and Jesus also will "see of
              the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied" (Isa. 53:11).
                 In the SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, pp. 205-207, (and in the
              appendix of helps in some Bibles) is a listing of the parables of
              Jesus. On page 192 there is a table which summarizes the
              features of each Gospel. It shows that Matthew records 21
              parables, Mark 6, Luke 26, and John none.

                                                                               83

                    Picture yourself standing with the rest of the people on the
                 beach. While Jesus tells His simple stories from the boat, you
                 feel the kiss of the breeze on your cheek, and your eyes rest on
                 the deep blue of the lake or on the hazy blue-green of the
                 mountainous shore beyond. Or you may be sitting on the grassy
                 hillside plucking a wild flower with one hand while your eyes
                 scrutinize the lovely face of this Teacher whose musical voice
                 does something to set the echoes ringing inside the hallways of
                 your soul.
                    "To him who learns thus to interpret its teachings, all nature
                 becomes illuminated; the world is a lesson book, life a school.
                 The unity of man with nature and with God, the universal domin-
                 ion of law, the results of transgression, cannot fail of impressing
                 the mind and molding the character."—Education, p. 100.

                    No doubt there was more than one reason. Was it because His
                 questions, immediately preceding this statement, silenced the
                 haughty, upper-class rulers or the very wise scribes? Was it
                 because His simple dress and speech made them feel He was
                 their champion against the oppressive requirements of their
                 leaders? What other reasons can you think of that might apply?
                    "Jesus met the people on their own ground, as one who was
                 acquainted with their perplexities. He made truth beautiful by
                 presenting it in the most direct and simple way. His language
                 was pure, refined, and clear as a running stream. His voice was
                 as music to those who had listened to the monotonous tones of
                 the rabbis. But while His teaching was simple, He spoke as one
                 having authority. This characteristic set His teaching in contrast
                 with that of all others. The rabbis spoke with doubt and hesi-
                 tancy, as if the Scriptures might be interpreted to mean one
                 thing or exactly the opposite. The hearers were daily involved in
                 greater uncertainty. But Jesus taught the Scriptures as of un-
                 questionable authority. Whatever His subject, it was presented
                 with power, as if His words could not be controverted."—The
                 Desire of Ages, p. 253.

 FURTHER STUDY     The Desire of Ages, pp. 252-255.

                  You might enjoy taking a red-letter Bible, in which the words
                spoken by Jesus stand out because they are printed in red ink,
                and try to find questions that illustrate the way in which Jesus
                used questions to:
                  1.Elicit faith (necessary for healing He was about to perform).
                  2. Draw attention to a truth He was about to pronounce.
                  3. Draw from the lips of His opposers a truth which they might
                have rejected if He Himself had said it.
                  4. Parry questions that were intended to embarrass Him and
                undermine the work He was doing.
                  5. Elicit a logical sequence of statements conducive to truth.
                  6. Present His listeners with a choice.
                  7. Draw attention to a passage of Scripture.

                   "The teaching of the Bible should have our freshest thought,
                our best methods, and our most earnest effort.
                   "In arousing and strengthening a love for Bible study, much
                depends on the use of the hour of worship. The hours of morn-
                ing and evening worship should be the sweetest and most
                helpful of the day. Let it be understood that into these hours no
                troubled, unkind thoughts are to intrude; that parents and chil-
                dren assemble to meet with Jesus, and to invite into the home
                the presence of holy angels. Let the services be brief and full of
                life, adapted to the occasion, and varied from time to time. Let
                all join in the Bible reading and learn and often repeat God's
                law. It will add to the interest of the children if they are some-
                times permitted to select the reading. Question them upon it,
                and let them ask questions. Mention anything that will serve to
                illustrate its meaning. When the service is not thus made too
                lengthy, let the little ones take part in the prayer, and let them
                join in song, if it be but a single verse."—Education, p. 186.

                                                                               85

                    The lecture method, the formal presentation of a subject in
                  logical sequence to a group of interested learners, has always
                  been one of the tools of the teacher. Jesus was skilled in this as
                  in other approaches to the minds of men. The Gospel of
                  Matthew contains six such lectures or sermons: (1) the Sermon
                  on the Mount, chapters 5 through 7; (2) instructions to the
                  twelve disciples, chapter 10; (3) parables of the kingdom, chap-
                  ter 13; (4) human relations, chapter 18; (5) denunciation of
                  hypocrisy, chapter 23; (6) final events, chapters 24, 25.
                    A skilled speaker will study his audience and structure his
                  material into these steps: obtain attention, create a sense of
                 need, satisfy the need, visualize what this satisfaction will mean
                 to his hearers, and usually, a call to action.
                    The chapter, "At Capernaum" in the book The Desire of Ages,
                 contains one of our best descriptions of Jesus as a public
                 speaker. In a paragraph already quoted we have noted His
                 audience analysis: "His messages of mercy were varied to suit
                 His audience."—Page 254. Notice how He interacted with indi-
                 viduals in His audience:
                    "Jesus watched with deep earnestness the changing counte-
                 nances of His hearers. The faces that expressed interest and
                 pleasure gave Him great satisfaction. As the arrows of truth
                 pierced to the soul, breaking through the barriers of selfish-
                 ness, and working contrition, and finally gratitude, the Saviour
                 was made glad. When His eye swept over the throng of listeners,
                 and He recognized among them the faces He had before seen,
                 His countenance lighted up with joy. He saw in them hopeful
                 subjects for His kingdom. When the truth, plainly spoken,
                 touched some cherished idol, He marked the change of
                 countenance, the cold, forbidding look, which told that the light
                 was unwelcome. When He saw men refuse the message of
                 peace, His heart was pierced to the very depths."—The Desire of
                 Ages, p. 255.

                   What were the subjects of Jesus' discourses?

                   "Jesus had nothing to do with the various subjects of dissen-
                 sion among the Jews. It was His work to present the truth. His
                 words shed a flood of light upon the teachings of patriarchs and
                 prophets, and the Scriptures came to men as a new revelation.
                 Never before had His hearers perceived such a depth of mean-
                 ing in the word of God."—The Desire of Ages, p. 253.

 FURTHER STUDY    The Desire of Ages, pp. 258-261.

                    In addition to the private interview given by Jesus to
                 Nicodemus at night, and to the personal work done for the
                 Samaritan woman by the well at Sychar, we have other exam-
                 ples of Jesus' work for individuals. The first five disciples were
                 contacted individually, as described in John 1. To Philip He
                 revealed His knowledge of the latter's personal devotional life.
                 To the fishermen, in Matthew 4, He said, "I will make you fishers
                 of men." To Levi Matthew and to Zacchaeus, and even to Pon-
                 tius Pilate, He gave individualized attention.
                    Jesus did not have a home of His own during the years of His
                 ministry, but the home of Lazarus and Martha and Mary in
                 Bethany was enriched by His presence and through the per-
                 sonal ministry highlighted by the resurrection of Lazarus re-
                 corded in John 11.
                    Even in His public ministry, individual differences in learning
                 readiness and learning ability were taken into account:
                    "Deep, unprejudiced thinkers received His teaching, and
                 found that it tested their wisdom. They marveled at the spiritual
                 truth expressed in the simplest language. The most highly edu-
                 cated were charmed with His words, and the uneducated were
                 always profited. He had a message for the illiterate; and He
                 made even the heathen to understand that He had a message for
                 them.
                     "His tender compassion fell with a touch of healing upon
                  weary and troubled hearts. Even amid the turbulence of angry
                 enemies He was surrounded with an atmosphere of peace. The
                 beauty of His countenance, the loveliness of His character,
                 above all, the love expressed in look and tone, drew to Him all
                  who were not hardened in unbelief. Had it not been for the
                  sweet, sympathetic spirit that shone out in every look and word,
                 He would not have attracted the large congregations that He
                  did. The afflicted ones who came to Him felt that He linked His
                  interest with theirs as a faithful and tender friend, and they
                  desired to know more of the truths He taught. Heaven was
                  brought near. They longed to abide in His presence, that the
                  comfort of His love might be with them continually."—The De-
                 sire of Ages, pp. 254, 255.

                                                                                87

                     Both Peter and John remembered very vividly, Peter after 30
                  years and John after 60 years, the scenes from the mount of
                  transfiguration, and the whole panorama of the wonderful life of
                  Jesus. John says, in verse 2 of the key passage quoted above,
                  "For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear
                   witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the
                  Father, and was manifested unto us."
                     One of the results of Jesus' teaching was this vivid recollec-
                  tion in the minds of the disciples themselves, as they relived the
                  experiences they had shared with Jesus. These mental images
                  no doubt helped to shape their own conduct as they faced
                  situations similar to those that Jesus faced.
                     "They saw their own weakness; they saw something of the
                  greatness of the work committed to them; they felt their need of
                  their Master's guidance at every step.
                     "They knew that His personal presence was no longer to be
                  with them, and they recognized, as they had never recognized
                  before, the value of the opportunities that had been theirs to
                  walk and talk with the Sent of God. Many of His lessons, when
                  spoken, they had not appreciated or understood; now they
                  longed to recall these lessons, to hear again His words."—
                  Education, p. 94.
                     The Holy Spirit had been promised to "bring all things to your
                  remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26).
                  Certainly this was one reason why the teachings of Christ were
                  so effective, as was exemplified in what His disciples wrote
                  many decades after the fact. Today, in the study of the Bible, we
                  should invoke the same Spirit that guided the writing of the
                  Book to interpret vividly for our benefit the events and thoughts
                  recorded in it so many centuries ago.

 FURTHER STUDY      Education, pp. 262-265.

                  Peter and John had not been intimidated by the threats of the
               highest authorities in the Jewish nation. What a contrast to the
               night in Gethsemane when these authorities had seen the disci-
               ples scatter in fear, and later when Peter had denied with curs-
               ing that he ever knew Jesus! What made the difference?
                  "For these disciples the mission of Christ finally ac-
               complished its purpose. Little by little His example and His
               lessons of self-abnegation molded their characters. His death
               destroyed their hope of worldly greatness. The fall of Peter, the
               apostasy of Judas, their own failure in forsaking Christ in His
               anguish and peril, swept away their self-sufficiency. . . .
                  "No longer were they ignorant and uncultured. No longer
               were they a collection of independent units or of discordant and
               conflicting elements. No longer were their hopes set on worldly
               greatness. They were of 'one accord,' of one mind and one soul.
               Christ filled their thoughts. The advancement of His kingdom
               was their aim. In mind and charauto, :ney had become like their
               Master; and men 'took knowledge of them, that they had been
               with Jesus.' Acts 4:13.
                  "Then was there such a revelation of the glory of Christ as had
               never before been witnessed by mortal man. Multitudes who
               had reviled His name and despised His power confessed them-
               selves disciples of the Crucified. Through the co-operation of
               the divine Spirit the labors of the humble men whom Christ had
                chosen stirred the world. To every nation under heaven was the
               gospel carried in a single generation."—Education, pp. 93-96.

                 Is fear compatible with a genuine conversion and compan-
               ionship with Christ? (See 1 John 4:18.)
                 "Can the world see Jesus in you?
                 Can the world see Jesus in me?
                 Does your love to him ring true
                 And your life and service, too?
                 Can the world see Jesus in you?"

                                                                               91

                    Parents may be sorely disappointed if their children, for
                 whom they have labored faithfully and sought to educate for
                 God, take a course directly contrary to the life goal of their
                 parents. Such may experience the sympathy of Jesus who Him-
                 self lost 8 percent of His twelve disciples.
                    "With Judas an element of antagonism was introduced
                 among the disciples. In connecting himself with Jesus he had
                 responded to the attraction of His character and life. He had
                 sincerely desired a change in himself, and had hoped to experi-
                 ence this through a union with Jesus. But this desire did not
                 become predominant. That which ruled him was the hope of
                 selfish benefit in the worldly kingdom which he expected Christ
                 to establish. Though recognizing the divine power of the love of
                 Christ, Judas did not yield to its supremacy. He continued to
                 cherish his own judgment and opinions, his disposition to
                 criticize and condemn....
                    "Jesus, seeing that to antagonize was but to harden, re-
                 frained from direct conflict. The narrowing selfishness of Judas'
                 life, Christ sought to heal through contact with His own self-
                 sacrificing love.. ..
                    " ... Day after day, when the burden lay heaviest on His own
                 heart, He had borne the pain of continual contact with that
                 stubborn, suspicious, brooding spirit; He had witnessed and
                 labored to counteract among His disciples that continuous,
                 secret, and subtle antagonism. And all this that no possible
                 saving influence might be lacking to that imperiled sour—
                 Education, pp. 91-93.

                   "So far as Judas himself was concerned, Christ's work of love
                 had been without avail. But not so as regards his fellow disci-
                 ples. To them it was a lesson of lifelong influence. Ever would its
                 example of tenderness and long-suffering mold their inter-
                 course with the tempted and the erring. And it had other les-
                 sons. At the ordination of the Twelve the disciples had greatly
                 desired that Judas should become one of their number.... In
                 the fate of Judas they saw the end to which self-serving
                 tends."—Education, p. 93.

 FURTHER STUDY     The Desire of Ages, pp. 719-722.

                  The context of Daniel 12:3 makes it clear that this promise is
               associated with the time of the end. The close of probation, the
               time of trouble, the deliverance of God's people are past. The
               partial resurrection has brought from the grave the outstanding
               figures on both sides of the conflict of the ages to witness the
               final events. Eternity is ushered in. Shining with the brightness
               of the stars will be those who have, through their life and teach-
               ing, influenced others toward righteousness. Among them we
               can expect to see those who have been teachers for God. They
               have taught at home, in the Sabbath School, or in a formal
               school setting.
                  "All the perplexities of life's experience will then be made
               plain. Where to us have appeared only confusion and disap-
               pointment, broken purposes and thwarted plans, will be seen a
               grand, overruling, victorious purpose, a divine harmony.
                  "There all who have wrought with unselfish spirit will behold
               the fruit of their labors. The outworking of every right principle
               and noble deed will be seen. Something of this we see here. But
               how little of the result of the world's noblest work is in this life
               manifest to the doer! How many toil unselfishly and unweariedly
               for those who pass beyond their reach and knowledge! Parents
               and teachers lie down in their last sleep, their lifework seeming
               to have been wrought in vain; they know not that their faithful-
               ness has unsealed springs of blessing that can never cease to
               flow; only by faith they see the children they have trained be-
               come a benediction and an inspiration of their fellow men, and
               the influence repeat itself a thousandfold. Many a worker sends
               out into the world messages of strength and hope and courage,
               words that carry blessing to hearts in every land; but of the
               results he, toiling in loneliness and obscurity, knows little. So
               gifts are bestowed, burdens are borne, labor is done. Men sow
               the seed from which, above their graves, others reap blessed
               harvests. They plant trees, that others may eat the fruit. They are
               content here to know that they have set in motion agencies for
               good. In the hereafter the action and reaction of all these will be
               seen."—Education, pp. 305, 306.

                                                                                95

                 "The promise of the Holy Spirit is not limited to any age or to
               any race. Christ declared that the divine influence of His Spirit
               was to be with His followers unto the end. From the Day of
               Pentecost to the present time, the Comforter has been sent to all
               who have yielded themselves fully to the Lord and to His
               service."—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 49.
                 "The Comforter is ours as well as theirs. The Spirit furnishes
               the strength that sustains striving, wrestling souls in every
               emergency, amidst the hatred of the world, and the realization
               of their own failures and mistakes. In sorrow and affliction,
               when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we
               feel helpless and alone,—these are the times when, in answer to
               the prayer of faith, the Holy Spirit brings comfort to the
               heart."—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 51.

                  Just as Jesus was a teacher, so His representative was also to
               be a teacher to His disciples. The Holy Spirit was a follow-up, an
               extension of the school of Christ. In a way, it was the real school
               for which Christ's work had been only a preparation.
                  "Under the training of Christ the disciples had been led to feel
               their need of the Spirit. Under the Spirit's teaching they received
               the final qualification, and went forth to their lifework. No longer
               were they ignorant and uncultured. No longer were they a col-
               lection of independent units or discordant, conflicting ele-
               ments. No longer were their hopes set on worldly greatness.
               They were of 'one accord,' of one heart and of one soul.' Acts
               2:46; 4:32. Christ filled their thoughts; the advancement of His
               kingdom was their aim. In mind and character they had become
               like their Master, and men 'took knowledge of them, that they
               had been with Jesus.' Acts 4:13."—The Acts of the Apostles,
               p. 45.
                  Today, even as in the first century of the Christian church,
               God would use the Holy Spirit to educate and refine the workers
               in His church, whether laymen or denominational employees.
                  "The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of
               Christ. Those only who are thus taught of God, those only who
                possess the inward working of the Spirit, and in whose life the
                Christ-life is manifested, can stand as true representatives of
                the Saviour.
                  "God takes men as they are, and educates them for His ser-
                vice, if they will yield themselves to Him. The Spirit of God,
                received into the soul, quickens all its faculties. Under the guid-
                ance of the Holy Spirit, the mind that is devoted unreservedly
                to God, develops harmoniously, and is strengthened to com-
                prehend and fulfill the requirements of God. . . . The Christian
                becomes like his Master in character. He has clearer, broader
                views. His discernment is more penetrative, his judgment better
                balanced. So quickened is he by the life-giving power of the Sun
                of Righteousness, that he is enabled to bear much fruit to the
                glory of God."—Gospel Workers, pp. 285, 286.

                                                                                99

                  "Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place
               personally. Therefore it was for their interest that He should go
               to the Father, and send the Spirit to be His successor on earth.
               No one could then have any advantage because of his location
               or his personal contact with Christ. By the Spirit the Saviour
               would be accessible to all. In this sense He would be nearer to
               them than if He had not ascended on high."—The Desire of
               Ages, p. 669.
                  Parents and teachers are often conscious of their limitations
               in trying to know what is going on. The teacher turns his back to
               the class while he writes on the board. The parent must go to
               work to earn a living for the family. What are the children doing?
                  As a parent or as a teacher I may find strength in knowing that
               the Holy Spirit, the Parakletos who stands beside me, is my
               Helper alerting me to the plans of Satan. Through Him I can be
               made aware of the dangers or temptations facing those for
               whom I am responsible. I can take wise measures to counteract
               the influence of the enemy.
                 The Holy Spirit is also an influence that radiates from my
               person when I have been long on my knees. Like a subtle
               perfume that fills the room, He enters the classroom with me.
               His presence surrounds the pulpit when I preach or lead the
               Sabbath School. The home is different when I'm there, if the
               Spirit dwells within me.
                  "Ministers and teachers, let your work be fragrant with rich
               spiritual grace. . . .
                 " ... God's Spirit will be with us, making us pure and holy, as
               upright and fragrant as the cedar of Lebanon."—Testimonies,
               vol. 7, pp. 251, 252.
                  "If the teacher has the love of Christ abiding in the heart as a
               sweet fragrance, a savor of life unto life, he may bind the chil-
               dren under his care to himself."—Counsels to Teachers, p. 197.

       Part 4     How complete would be the scope of the Spirit's teaching?
   GUIDE TO
  ALL TRUTH       "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear
                them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will
                guide you into all truth" (John 16:12, 13).

                    Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" But he did not wait for the
                answer.
                    In everyday life we can say that a verbal statement is true when
                it is conformable to fact, conformable to nature or to reality. Our
                hearing communicates to us a message that conforms to what
                our other senses—sight, touch, taste, smell—tell us.
                    We also speak of a true copy when it conforms to the original,
                of a true weight when it conforms to a standard, and of a true
                likeness when it conforms to a pattern.
                    Spiritual truth also involves conformity or agreement. We
                hear or read verbal statements regarding good or evil in human
                conduct. What would our senses tell us about such values if
                those senses could penetrate the barriers of time and space and
                allow us to see everything as God does?
                     The Spirit of truth is to guide Christians into all truth. We can,
                 through Him, penetrate the barriers of time and space. Spirit-
                 inspired faith is the radar which penetrates the fog and reaches
                 out to reveal the rocky coastline. It enables us to steer a true
                 course to the safety of the harbor. Our verbal statements to
                 others will conform to the invisible facts. Others will not be
                 misled or shipwrecked.
                     To educate, in the transitive sense of the verb, is to provide
                 guidance in the student's spontaneous search for truth.
                     Jesus, even amid the agonies of five successive trials and
                 facing the final torture of the cross, was seeking to provide such
                  guidance to Pilate. "Pilate had a desire to know the truth.... He
                 eagerly grasped the words of the Saviour, and his heart was
                  stirred with a great longing to know what it really was, and how
                  he could obtain it.... But he did not wait for an answer."—The
                  Desire of Ages, p. 727.

                    "A knowledge of the truth depends not so much upon
                 strength of intellect as upon pureness of purpose, the simplicity
                 of an earnest, dependent faith. To those who in humility of heart
                 seek for divine guidance, angels of God draw near. The Holy
                 Spirit is given to open to them the rich treasures of the
                 truth."—Christ's Object Lessons, p. 59.

                                                                                   101

                   Law, in nature, is a consistent relationship between cause
                and effect. The passage of Romans 8:1-16 contrasts two ways of
                life, walking after the flesh and walking after the Spirit. The
                 walk, or way of behaving, is the effect which follows after the
                 cause or motivating force.
                   This conflict was a very real one to Paul: "I delight in the law of
                God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members,
                warring against the law of my mind" (Rom. 7:22, 23). It made him
                very miserable until Christ freed him.
                   Meade McGuire, a veteran youth leader in the Seventh-day
                Adventist Church, used to compare the two natures in man to
                two fighting dogs that are frequently in conflict with each other.
                If both dogs are fed well and in good health, there will be a
                horrendous fight every time they face each other. But suppose
                that for two weeks one dog was starved and the other fed. There
                wouldn't be much of a fight. And if the process were continued
                consistently for three months, there would be no fight at all. One
                dog would be dead.
                   The trouble with most unhappy Christians is that they keep
                throwing scraps to the carnal nature, enough to keep it alive and
                full of fight. They're always on the fence, too saintly to be happy
                at a dance, and too worldly to be happy at a prayer meeting.
                   "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are
                in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit"
                (Rom. 8:1).

                 The Holy Spirit, a divine Person and one of the Trinity, is
               Himself unlimited by time or space. Through His guidance He
               enables man to break through the barriers of time and space in
               his search for truth.
                 In parts 3 and 4 of this lesson we have seen how the Spirit
               makes Christ omnipresent and breaks the barrier of space that
               might separate man from Christ and from the universe of truth.
                 Let us now consider how the Holy Spirit, through His teach-
               ing, enables man's mind to break through the barrier of time to
               know the future. "He will shew you things to come."
                 This is especially important to our understanding of lessons
               13 and 14, which deal with events still future, revealed to us
               through Spirit-inspired messengers of God.

                 What have been the two great pillars around which Bible
               prophecy has centered? 1 Peter 1:9-11.

                  Using another metaphor, the prophecies of Christ's suffer-
               ings and the glory that should follow are like parallel threads of
               crimson and gold, running from Genesis to Revelation. The
               sufferings relate to His first advent—the humble birth, the sac-
               rificing life, the crucifixion. The glory that should follow in-
               cludes, perhaps, the resurrection and ascension, but focuses
               more clearly on the second advent and the eternal glory of the
               Messianic kingdom. Read the whole chapter and renew the
               "lively hope" we Christians have.

                 What assurance has Peter sought to give us regarding the
               reliability of the Spirit-inspired promises on which we base our
               hope for the future? 2 Peter 1:19-21.

                  Peter has referred to "exceeding great and precious prom-
               ises" in verse 4. He himself promises the Christian an abundant
               entrance into the everlasting kingdom (verse 11). His own im-
               mediate future, not a pleasant one, has been foretold by Jesus
               (verse 14; compare John 21:18), and he is ready. Now he urges
               Christians not to be shortsighted as they plan for the future
               (verses 9, 10), but puts them "in remembrance" (verses 12, 13,
               15). With his own eyes he had seen the glory of the transfigura-
               tion. But "more sure" than the testimony of his own eyes is the
               word of prophecy, as the divine is more sure than the human!
               Memorize this thrilling passage!

                                                                             103

                "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judg-
              ment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth,
              and the sea, and the fountains of waters" (Rev. 14:7).

                 The transformation of the entire life by the gospel is especially
              urgent because the hour of the judgment has come. Notice that
              there is a certain parallelism between these three commands
              and the threefold aspects of a balanced education in restoring
              man to the image of his Maker.
                 1. Ps. 111:10: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wis-
              dom" (mind).
                 2. 1 Cor. 6:20: "Glorify God in your body" (body).
                 3. John 4:23: "Worship the Father in spirit" (spirit).
                 The involvement of the whole man in the final polarization of
              humanity for God or for the enemy of God is also implied in
              phrases of Revelation 7 and 14 regarding the seal of God and
              the mark of the beast. Every person is to receive either God's
              seal in the forehead, or the mark of the beast in the forehead or
              hand. God's seal applies only to the condition of heart and
              mind. The beast's mark applies to either heart and mind or to
              outward conformity.
                 Children and youth were involved in the proclamation of the
              first angel's message in Europe. Farel and Gaussen addressed
              themselves to the children in taking the gospel to Geneva,
              hoping through them to reach their parents. (See The Great
              Controversy, p. 365.) In more recent times the starting of a
              school for children and youth has been the spearhead for pre-
              senting the message in places like the Columbian Islands in the
              Caribbean, and in Mexico City. Language schools have served a
              like purpose in Japan and Korea and other places. Vacation
              Bible Schools for children are based on a similar rationale. Of
              Gaussen, on the page referred to above, Ellen White says: "The
              effort was successful. As he addressed the children, older per-
              sons came to listen. The galleries of his church were filled with
              attentive hearers. Among them were men of rank and learning,
              and strangers and foreigners visiting Geneva; and thus the
              message was carried to other parts."
                 The child preachers of Scandinavia were also used by God in
               proclaiming the first angel's message.

                                                                              107

                    Adventists early applied this prophecy to their own work of
                 warning the world about Christ's coming. In 1843 Charles Fitch
                 wrote, "If you are the true ministers of Christ, come out of
                 Babylon, and no longer be opposed to the coming of Christ."
                 Joshua Himes also phrased an appeal in the language of the
                 second angel's message. "In May, 1847, two years and six
                 months after the disappointment, there was issued a pamphlet
                 A Word to the 'Little Flock.' . . . In the main, the pamphlet is the
                 work of young James White, in which . . . we find the first
                 published reference to the third angel's message, in his
                 'Thoughts on Revelation 14.' "—A. W. Spalding, Origin and
                 History of Seventh-day Adventists (Washington, DC: Review
                 and Herald Publishing Association, 1961), pp. 175, 177.
                    Most Seventh-day Adventists do not realize how strongly
                 James White felt about applying the second angel's message to
                 the children of the church. Witness this statement made in the
                 church paper of which he was editor and publisher:
                    "We as a people hold that it is necessary to separate ourselves
                 from the world and the fallen churches, lest their associations
                 becloud our minds and destroy our faith. This we regard as a
                 scriptural position, and the only safe position for Christian men
                 and women in these perilous times. God's word has required
                 Christians in all past time to separate themselves from the
                 world; but how much more is this the duty of Christians in this
                 corrupt age. If this be our duty, then we have a duty to do in this
                 respect to our children. Shall we come out of Babylon, and leave
                 our children behind? Shall we send them where is seen the
                 boldest imprint of the filling up of the cup of her fury? Take care
                 brother, sister, lest you call down upon your own heads, the
                 displeasure of God, and the blood of your children. Separate
                 your children from the world. Like Israel, gather them into your
                 dwellings, and strike your door-posts with blood, for the de-
                 stroying angels will soon be on their way, to 'slay utterly old and
                 young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come
                 not near any man upon whom is the mark.' "—James White,
                 Review and Herald, August 30, 1857, p. 125.

                  What repetition of the three angels' messages is expected
                with great power before the end of time?

                  "After these things I saw another angel come down from
                heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with
                his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying,
                Babylon the great is fallen.... And I heard another voice from
                heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not
                partakers of her sins, and that ye may receive not of her
                plagues" (Rev. 18:1-4).

                   "The light that was shed upon the waiting ones penetrated
                everywhere, and those in the churches who had any light, who
                had not heard and rejected the three messages, obeyed the call
                and left the fallen churches.... The third message was to do its
                work; all were to be tested upon it. . . . A compelling power
                moved the honest, while the manifestation of the power of God
                brought a fear and restraint upon their unbelieving relatives and
                friends so that they dared not, neither had they the power to,
                hinder those who felt the work of the Spirit of God upon
                them."—Early Writings, p. 278.
                   The work of devout and consecrated church school teachers
                will find its true test of success under similar circumstances:
                   "In the closing scenes of this earth's history many of these
                children and youth will astonish people by their witness to the
                truth, which will be borne in simplicity, yet with spirit and power.
                They have been taught the fear of the Lord, and their hearts have
                been softened by a careful and prayerful study of the Bible. In
                the near future many children will be endued with the Spirit of
                God, and will do a work in proclaiming the truth to the world,
                that at that time cannot well be done by the older members of
                the church.
                   "The Lord would use the church school as an aid to the
                 parents in educating and preparing their children for this time
                 before us. Then let the church take hold of the school work in
                earnest and make it what the Lord desires it to be."—Counsels
                to Teachers, pp. 166, 167.

                                                                                109

                    "The 'time of trouble, such as never was,' is soon to open
                 upon us; and we shall need an experience which we do not now
                 possess and which many are too indolent to obtain. It is often
                 the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but
                 this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presenta-
                 tion cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that time of
                 trial, every soul must stand for himself before God."—The Great
                 Controversy, p. 622.
                    Adventist theology distinguishes between a "little time of
                 trouble" before the close of probation, and the "time of Jacob's
                 trouble" during the outpouring of the seven last plagues, in
                 which God's people will live without an intercessor. Their an-
                 guish at that time is not due to physical suffering or persecution
                 so much as their search for assurance of acceptance with God.

                  What example in the writings of Paul helps us to understand
                 what these difficult times will mean to believers? 1 Cor. 3:9-15.

                    Just as examination day reveals what a student has ac-
                 complished during the term, it also reveals something about the
                 work of the teacher. Dokimazd, the Greek word translated
                 "trial" in the above text is also used of the testing of gold. The
                 assayer's test requires great heat to melt the ore and separate
                 the fine metal from the dross.

                 The 144,000 have the special honor of constantly following
              the Lamb. Only they, of the human race, have lived through the
              time of trouble foretold in Daniel 12:1, the time Michael stands
              up to leave His ministry in the•heavenly sanctuary. They have
              washed their robes in Christ's blood and held fast to His truth.
              (See Early Writings, p. 17.)
                  What a special privilege it will be to be among those who
              participate in the final demonstration to the universe that the
              plan of redemption is effective, that God's holy law can indeed
              be kept by created beings! And what a special satisfaction it will
              be for parents and teachers of those who form part of this
              special group to see that their influence has by the grace of God
              been successful!
                  "We must preach on the subject of the 144,000. The topic
              must be given a larger place in our thinking and in our speaking.
              It is not necessary that we enter the field of controversy that has
              caused so many to avoid more than a simple mention of this
              special group. (1) We may remain within the realm of that which
              has been revealed and preach frequently on the kind of charac-
              ter that will be possessed by each of the 144,000. We may deal
              with the steps in the preparation of that translation character.
              (2) Much has been revealed concerning the experience of the
              144,000 just before the second Advent, during the seven last
              plagues and the time of Jacob's trouble. How to prepare for that
              time is pointed out. These things must be preached. (3) Revela-
              tion has made plain that the religious beliefs of the 144,000 will
              be free from erroneous teachings. We must instruct our people
              in how to test their beliefs and become established on a firm
              foundation. (4) Another clear point is that Satan, personally, and
              through the beast, has had a special controversy with the
              144,000, and they have come off victorious. We must lead our
              people into the kind of experience that will withstand all the
              onslaughts of the evil one. (5) A little insight is given into the
              special reward that is to be theirs."—T. H. Jemison, in Our Firm
              Foundation (Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing
              Association, 1953), vol. 2, p. 407.

                                                                             111

                   "Now is fulfilled the Saviour's prayer for His disciples: 'I will
               that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I
               am.' Faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding
               joy' (Jude 24), Christ presents to the Father the purchase of His
               blood, declaring: 'Here am I, and the children whom Thou hast
               given Me.' Those that Thou gayest Me I have kept.' Oh, the
               wonders of redeeming love! the rapture of that hour when the
               infinite Father, looking upon the ransomed, shall behold His
               image, sin's discord banished, its blight removed, and the
               human once more in harmony with the divine!"—The Great
               Controversy, p. 646.
                   Ellen White continues describing Jesus'"class reunion" with
               His followers: "With unutterable love, Jesus welcomes His faith-
               ful ones to the joy of their Lord. The Saviour's joy is in seeing, in
               the kingdom of glory, the souls that have been saved by His
               agony and humiliation. And the redeemed will be sharers in His
                joy, as they behold, among the blessed, those who have been
                won to Christ through their prayers, their labors, and their
               loving sacrifice. As they gather about the great white throne,
                gladness unspeakable will fill their hearts, when they behold
                those whom they have won for Christ, and see that one has
                gained others, and these still others, all brought into the haven
                of rest, there to lay their crowns at Jesus' feet and praise Him
                through the endless cycles of eternity."—The Great Con-
               troversy, p. 647.
                   In lesson 12 we saw that the Holy Spirit gave the disciples their
                "in-service training," which enabled them to accomplish their
                life work.
                    But beyond all this lies the unhurried atmosphere, the reflec-
                tive thinking, the polish that characterizes graduate study.
                Jesus, while still on earth, wanted to take His disciples beyond
                this world's cares and limitations to experience His glory. He
                 would be not only the Author but the Finisher of our faith.

                                                                                115

                "I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven
              and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more
              sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
              down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
              her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
              Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell
              with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall
              be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all
              tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
              neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
              pain: for the former things are passed away" (Rev. 21:1-4).

                 (Read also Rev. 22:1-7.)
                 The restoration of Eden includes a restoration of the "school
              in a garden" on which attention was focused in the first lesson
              of this quarter. This is the thought expressed in the final chapter
              of the book Ellen White wrote, under divine inspiration, while
              nurturing the infant Avondale College in Australia. While the
              wind rustled in the gum trees and the kookaburra filled the
              dawn with its far-reaching, inimitable call, she penned:
                 "Heaven is a school; its field of study, the universe; its
              teacher, the Infinite One. A branch of this school was estab-
              lished in Eden; and, the plan of redemption accomplished,
              education will again be taken up in the Eden school.
                 " 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
              the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them
              that love Him.' 1 Corinthians 2:9. Only through His word can a
              knowledge of these things be gained; and even this affords but
              a partial revelation."—Education, p. 301.
                 There will be similarities, yes, but also contrasts:
                 "Between the school established in Eden at the beginning
              and the school of the hereafter there lies the whole compass of
              this world's history—the history of human transgression and
              suffering, of divine sacrifice, and of victory over death and sin.
              Not all the conditions of that first school of Eden will be found in
              the school of the future life. No tree of knowledge of good and
              evil will afford opportunity for temptation. No tempter is there,
              no possibility of wrong. Every character has withstood the test-
              ing of evil, and none are longer susceptible to its power."—
              Education, pp. 301, 302.

                  The antecedent of thou and thy in this promise is found in
               verses 1 to 10. The promise is spoken to the barren woman who
               was to enlarge her tent and strengthen her stakes. She is mar-
               ried to her Maker, whose kindness will never more depart from
               her though the mountains and the hills be removed. She is
               God's people in ancient Judah and secondly God's church
               today.
                  Ellen White has depicted for us the Lord's teaching of each
               child of the church:
                  "Not until the providences of God are seen in the light of
               eternity shall we understand what we owe to the care and
               interposition of His angels. Celestial beings have taken an ac-
               tive part in the affairs of men. They have appeared in garments
               that shone as the lightning; they have come as men, in the garb
               of wayfarers. They have accepted the hospitalities of human
               homes; they have acted as guides to benighted travelers. They
               have thwarted the spoiler's purpose and turned aside the stroke
               of the destroyer.
                  "Though the rulers of this world know it not, yet often in their
                councils angels have been spokesmen. Human eyes have
                looked upon them. Human ears have listened to their appeals. In
                the council hall and the court of justice, heavenly messengers
                have pleaded the cause of the persecuted and oppressed. They
                have defeated purposes and arrested evils that would have
                brought wrong and suffering to God's children. To the students
                in the heavenly school, all this will be unfolded.
                   "Every redeemed one will understand the ministry of angels
                in his own life. The angel who was his guardian from his earliest
                moment; the angel who watched his steps, and covered his
                head in the day of peril; the angel who was with him in the valley
                of the shadow of death, who marked his resting place, who was
                the first to greet him in the resurrection morning—what will it be
                to hold converse with him and to learn the history of divine
                interposition in the individual life, of heavenly co-operation in
                every work for humanity!"—Education, pp. 304, 305.

                                                                              117

                 "In the earth made new, the redeemed will engage in the
               occupations and pleasures that brought happiness to Adam
               and Eve in the beginning. The Eden life will be lived, the life in
               garden and field. [Isa. 65:21, 22, quoted]."—Prophets and
               Kings, pp. 730, 731.
                  What other activities will be part of the school of the hereaf-
               ter? Rev. 15:2, 3.
                  "There will be music there, and song, such music and song
               as, save in the visions of God, no mortal ear has heard or mind
               conceived. . . .
                  "There every power will be developed, every capability in-
               creased. The grandest enterprises will be carried forward, the
               loftiest aspirations will be reached, the highest ambitions
               realized. And still, there will arise new heights to surmount, new
               wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to
               call forth the powers of body and mind and soul.
                  "All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of
               God's children. With unutterable delight we shall enter into the
               joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. We shall share the
               treasures gained through ages upon ages spent in contempla-
               tion of God's handiwork. And the years of eternity, as they roll,
               will continue to bring more glorious revelation."—Education,
               p. 307.
                  Don't you think these activities will include many of the
               branches of secular knowledge in search of which men have
               vainly sacrificed their lives on earth? Physics and biology, food
               chemistry, statistical inference, ancient history, and linguistics
               may yield their secrets to minds refreshed by eating the fruit of
               the tree of life. And the class bell will not interrupt the inquisitive
               spirit in its search. Time as well as space will take on new
               dimensions.

                  The redeemed have learned, by their own painful experience,
               the evil of sin, its power, its guilt, its woe; and they look upon it
               with abhorrence. Their perception of the infinite sacrifice by
               which they have been rescued from sin's awesome grip hum-
               bles them in their own sight and fills their hearts with gratitude
               and praise that those who have never fallen cannot appreciate.
               "They love much because they have been forgiven much. Hav-
               ing been partakers of Christ's sufferings, they are fitted to be
               partakers with Him of His glory."—The Great Controversy,
               p. 650.
                  "In the plan of redemption there are heights and depths that
               eternity itself can never exhaust, marvels into which the angels
               desire to look. The redeemed only, of all created beings, have in
               their own experience known the actual conflict with sin; they
               have wrought with Christ, and, as even the angels could not do,
               have entered into the fellowship of His sufferings; will they have
               no testimony as to the science of redemption—nothing that will
               be of worth to unfallen beings?
                  "Even now, 'unto the principalities and the powers in the
               heavenly places' is 'made known through the church the man-
               ifold wisdom of God.' And He 'hath raised us up together, and
               made us sit together in heavenly places: . . . that in the ages to
               come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His
               kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.' Ephesians 3:10, R.V.;
               2:6, 7."—Education, p. 308.

                                                                                119

                         First Lesson THE PERSONALITY AND DIVINITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Memory text, John 14:17.
  1. The Personality of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:27; 1 Cor. 2:11; 12:11)
          2. Evidences of the Spirit's Personality (Rom. 8:26)
             3. The Spirit of God at Creation (Gen. 1:1, 2)
                    4. The Triune God (Matt. 28:19)
                   5. The Spirit as God (Acts 5:3, 4)
                6. The Divine Ambassador (Eph. 4:4-6)




                    Second Lesson    THE HOLY SPIRIT SYMBOLIZED IN SCRIPTURE. Memory text, John 3:8.
           1. Dove, Comforter, and Eye of God (John 1:32)
                        2. Water (John 7:37-39)
                   3. Oil and Unction (Matt. 25:1-4)
                 4. Seal and Guarantee (2 Cor. 1:22)
                      5. Light and Fire (John 1:9)
                           6. Wind (John 3:8)




             Lessons in Braille The regular Adult Sabbath School Lessons are available free each month in Braille and 162/3 rpm records to blind and physically handicapped persons who cannot read normal inkprint. This includes individuals who because of arthritis, multiple sclerosis, paralysis, accidents, old age, and so forth, cannot hold or focus on normal inkprint publications. Contact the Christian Record Braille Foundation, Box 6097, Lincoln, Nebraska 68506.

                             When the Sabbath School
                             offering is received this
                             week, before you give,
                             re-examine your priorities
                             in light of the Cross. When
                             Nicodemus did , he
                             invested his whole life. Ca
                             you think of a better
                             investment?




      Open Heart   Let God's love show through your giving.

                        TURKEY



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                                                                             African Union
                                                                           Ethiopian Union
                                                                          Mr=        WO
                                                                            RIZEIMMIUM
                                                                                     Church $.S.
                                         Union              Population     Churches Mamba's Members  Parane School                               East Megan         29102.000      622      119,101   220,651    Tanzania                                  Ethiopian          27,600.000     79       29,198    62,653
                                         Middia East        170.750.000    37       3.565     3.083
                                         Tanzania           14,320,000     229      36.240    50,993
                                         DIVISION TOTALS 246,272,000       967      188,127   337,365
                                         (Noma as of ncr Quarter, 1977)