Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study

Psalms 80:1-19, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Revelation 21:9-27, Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 7:17, Revelation 21:4, John 6:44.

Memory Text:

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2, NKJV).

What does the future hold for you? What lies ahead? It might seem daunting, exciting, scary, and wonderful all at once. Know that Jesus is faithful and that His words are true (Revelation 3:14). There will yet be turbulent times ahead (Matthew 24:21-22), but He has promised that He will never leave nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). He will do exactly what He says He will do—He always has and always will (Hebrews 10:23). And “he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13, NKJV).

Regardless of the number of days left for us on earth, we should fix our eyes on Jesus, looking steadfastly to Him. This is not always easy in a world that clamors for our attention, but may we, like David, say, “My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net” (Psalms 25:15, NKJV).

This week, let’s learn about the reward of heaven (Matthew 5:12, Revelation 22:12); what heaven will be like; and ultimately, how incredible it will be to finally be with the One who created us, loved us unto death, has redeemed us from our sin, and is coming back soon. We need to just hold on in faith until then.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 27.

Sunday–>

Thank you for your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering, also known as the Quarterly Mission Project Offering, that is helping people like Zeth prepare for gospel ministry. Klabat University, located near Manado, Indonesia, is a previous offering recipient. This quarter’s offering will help similar schools in the East-Central Africa Division. Watch a YouTube video of Zeth at bit.ly/Zeth-IS.

People ask Zeth Louis Lekatompessy how he supports his wife and three children without a salaried job in Indonesia. He says it is God’s providence.

Image © Pacific Press

Zeth decided to volunteer as a Bible worker after feeling convicted that he needed to trust more in God and less on himself during the COVID-19 pandemic. He had a heart for souls, and he put into motion a plan that he had used to lead many of his siblings to Christ.

He and his wife put together a list of every person whom they knew on Ambon Island, where they lived. Then they prayed for the names daily. They also got on their motorcycle every morning and visited the people on the list. The visits prompted Bible studies, and the Bible studies led to baptisms.

Zeth and his wife visited about three families a day, and the discussions sometimes lasted until late at night.

Many people couldn’t understand how the family was making ends meet.

“How do you survive with no job or savings or property that you can sell to help with your financial needs?” someone asked.

“It’s impossible to live without a paying job,” said another. “I can’t believe it. Please prove it.”

Zeth acknowledges that his family has faced challenges. One Friday, the money ran out, and he and his wife prayed for God to intervene. Their prayers stretched into Sabbath. “We don’t have anything but You,” they prayed. “We can only trust in You.” That Sabbath, a stranger approached Zeth in the church parking lot and handed him an envelope. “This is for you so you can cheerfully continue your ministry,” he said.

At home, Zeth and his wife thanked God and opened the envelope. Inside they found enough money to cover their needs for several months.

To those who seek evidence, Zeth recounts the experience, saying, “Out of hundreds of experiences of God’s providence, this is just one of them.”

Today, Zeth is studying theology at Klabat University in hope of learning how to give better Bible studies. He said God is still covering his family’s expenses. When he graduates, he is ready to serve as a pastor, a Bible worker, or in another position from God.

“Pray for me and my family,” he said. “Pray that when I finish my studies, I can bring more souls to God’s kingdom.”

“Whatever the profession, no man has pure love to God unless he has unselfish love for his brother.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

But we can never come into possession of this spirit by trying to love others. What is needed is the love of Christ in the heart. When self is merged in Christ, love springs forth spontaneously.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 384.

“Those who are most actively employed in doing with interested fidelity their work to win souls to Jesus Christ, are the best developed in spirituality and devotion.”—Ellen G. White, Evangelism, p. 356.

“Strength to resist evil is best gained by aggressive service.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 105.

“In order to enter into His joy—the joy of seeing souls redeemed by His sacrifice—we must participate in His labors for their ­redemption.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 142.

“Those who reject the privilege of fellowship with Christ in service, reject the only training that imparts a fitness for participation with Him in His glory.”—Ellen G. White, Education, p. 264.

Discussion Questions

Summary: When God’s love and His living, powerful Word fill our daily lives, we will be compelled to love and share Him with those around us. We should be prayerful, thoughtful, and intentional about witnessing, believing that His Word, which goes forth from His mouth, shall not return to Him void, but it shall accomplish what He pleases, and it shall prosper in the things for which He sent it (see Isaiah 55:11).

<–Thursday

We’ve all had weak or wavering moments in our walk with God—the valleys where our heart has been unfaithful or where we’ve merely been lukewarm for too long. What was it that brought you back into an abiding relationship with Him?

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In a practical sense, knowing how to relate to, and interact with, a loved one who has walked away from a relationship with the Lord can be challenging. You might wonder how things could have evolved for a different outcome; you might wonder how to interact with them now that they have a different worldview; and you might feel frustrated and helpless about the poor decisions they may still be making. These thoughts will always impact how you treat your loved one, and it’s therefore so important to live and speak from the overflow of your personal time with your Savior.

The testimony of your life, your actions, your words, and your prayers for your spouse or child who has walked away from God can radically change their lives and future. (Read in Luke 22:31-32 and John 21:15-17 how Jesus’ prayers for Peter changed his future.) Surrender any sadness, judgment, or condemnation you might feel toward them, and instead ask God to replace these feelings with love that only He can give. Ask God to cover you with His character so that you can model a loving, unselfish attitude. Remember that “no other influence that can surround the human soul has such power as the influence of an unselfish life. The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian.”—Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 470.

Through our example of a consistent life that points others to Christ, those who have rejected Christ will see in us something that can come only from God. They will see a peace that passes understanding, love that will never let go, and hope that believes against all odds. God’s love for us and our loved ones never wavers. We can give this love, which we receive every day, to those around us.

<–Wednesday Friday–>

Many know firsthand the pain and heartache of having a child who—despite the strong, spiritual home they were raised in—has chosen to walk away from a relationship with the Lord.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

Furthermore, we read that Rachel, the grandmother of Ephraim, meta­phorically weeps because Ephraim has walked away from a relationship with the Lord (Jeremiah 31:15). The Lord responds to her great sadness with these words in Jeremiah 31:16-17: “ ‘Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the Lord, that your children shall come back to their own border’ ” (NKJV).

Through Ephraim’s story, we learn that there is always hope, because God doesn’t give up. Although He rebukes His wayward people time and time again, God’s compassion never fails, and His message in this chapter continues (see Jeremiah 31:20).

We might feel great pain, frustration, and discouragement, or even speak negatively of those who are close to us who have walked away from a relationship with God. Yet, God reminds us that He has not forgotten the wayward child—not at all! God’s thoughts for such a person are not fleeting but instead are heartfelt and sincere. In fact, God says that His heart yearns for such individuals. He longs for them to return to Him, and His mercy is great.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

The question for each of us is: With whom are you sharing Jesus—the postal carrier, a store clerk, someone you see daily when you’re out walking? God calls every believer to help Him with this work, and He promises to give you “ ‘the tongue of the learned, that [you] should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary’ ” (Isaiah 50:4, NKJV). It is also the duty of the Christian to always be prepared to give a defense (apologia) for the faith and hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15).

Image © Jeff Preston from GoodSalt.com

Here are some simple tips to keep in mind as you consider how to be more intentional about sharing Jesus with others:

• Get to know someone and build a friendship over time. Your warmth, kindness, and genuine interest in them (being “lovable”) will help draw them to God. (Some call this “friendship evangelism.”)

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to work on the person’s heart. Pray for the right opportunities to interact with them.

• Look for natural ways to talk about your own faith experiences or offer a prayer for them. Ask God to give you boldness but gentleness in your approach.

• Find ways to connect your new friend with others from your church, so that they can experience the embrace of your church community. A social or small group Bible study is a good next step.

• Pray about the specific needs or questions your new friend might have and look for an opportunity to show them how the Bible offers comfort, advice, and guidance in our lives. You might simply share one Bible promise at first or answer one question, which will open the door for deeper discussions. Pray for those too.

• There will come a time you’ll want to ask if your friend would like to take a next step (Bible study and, eventually, baptism). Don’t rush these steps but also don’t lag. Pray about this.

• Our actions should reveal whose we are. How we treat others in our lives will speak volumes. As our characters are shaped in His likeness (sanctification), we will live to draw all people to Him.

<–Monday Wednesday–>