Pelajaran Sekolah Sabat 05, Jumaat 03 Ogos 2018

Pelajaran Sekolah Sabat 05
Jumaat, 03 Ogos 2018

Kajian Tambahan : Seorang pembunuh umum dalam pertempuran kalah kepada tenteranya, tetapi kematiannya tidak memberi kekuatan tambahan kepada pihak musuh. Tetapi bila seorang lelaki yang terkenal bergabung dengan pasukan lawan, bukan sahaja perkhidmatannya hilang, tetapi mereka yang berbagung dengan dirinya memporleh keuntungan yang pasti. Saulus orang Tarsus dalam perjalannya ke Damsyik, mungkin sahaja mudah dipukul mati oleh Tuhan dan menyebabkan kuasa penganiaya akan menjadi lemah. Tetapi, pemeliharaan Tuhan bukan sahaja menahan kehidupan Saulus, bahkan Tuhan menukarkan pegangan agamanya, dengan itu memindahkan seorang pejuang daripada pihak musuh kepada pihak Kristus.”-Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, ms.124.

“Kristus telah memberi arahan kepada rasul-rasulNya untuk pergi serta mengajar semua bangsa; tetapi pengajaran yang sebelumnya yang mana mereka telah terima daripada orang Yahudi membuatkan kami susah untuk mengerti kata-kata Master mereka. Maka mereka lembab untuk bertindak ke atas mereka. Mereka panggil mereka sendiri anak-a nak keturunan Abraham dan menganggap diri mereka sendiri adalah pewaris janji ilahi. Tidak sehingga beberapa tahun selepas keberangkatan TUHAN ke Syurga, bahawa fikiran mereka cukup berkembang memahami dengan jelas maksud kata-kata Kristus, bahawa mereka berusaha bekerja untuk perubahan kepercayaan orang-orang Kafir sama seperti kepada orang-orang Yahudi.”-Ellen G. White, Sketches From the Life of Paul, ms. 38.

Soalan-Soalan Perbincangan :

1. Renungkan lebih mendalam tentang soalan Yesus kepada Paulus pada perjalanan ke Damsyik: “Mengapa engkau menganiaya Aku?” (Kisah 9:4). Bagi Paulus, soalan tersebut menandakan bahawa Yesus orang Nazareth benar-benar telah bangkit daripada kematian. Tetapi, lebih daripada itu, bahawa ia juga menandakan pengenalan kerohanian wujud di antara Yesus dan gerejaNya (rujuk juga Matius 25:34, 35). Implakasinya jelas: apapun perbuatan yang mencelakakan gereja, ia juga mencelakakan Yesus sendiri. Dalam istilah praktikal, apakah maksudnya bagi kita sekarang ini?

2. Bersaksi bagi Yesus melibatkan penderitaan bagi Yesus. Bukan oleh kerana secara kebetulan bahawa perkataan dalam bahasa Greek “bersaksi” (martys=matai sahid) boleh dikaitkan dengan “martyrdom=kematian sahid.” Apakah yang dimaksudkan dengan menderita bagi Yesus?

3. Terdapat kata-kata lama bahasa Latin: Credo ut intelligam, yang bermaksud, “Saya percaya supaya saya boleh memahami.” Bagaimanakah idea ini membantu kita untuk memahami apa yang berlaku kepada Saulus orang Tarsus? Ia itu sebelum perubahannya, sebelum Paulus menjadi orang percaya di dalam Yesus, dia tidak faham. Hanya apabila pengalamannya baharulah dia dapat mengerti. Apakah pelajaran yang kita boleh ambil daripadanya pada masa-masa apabila mungkin kita mendapati diri kita sendiri merasa keciwa dengan mereka yang tidak percaya dengan kebenaran sedangkan bagi kita ia sangat jelas?

Sabbath School Lesson 5
Friday   August 3

Further Study: “A general slain in battle is lost to his army, but his death gives no additional strength to the enemy. But when a man of prominence joins the opposing force, not only are his services lost, but those to whom he joins himself gain a decided advantage. Saul of Tarsus, on his way to Damascus, might easily have been struck dead by the Lord, and much strength would have been withdrawn from the persecuting power. But God in His providence not only spared Saul’s life, but converted him, thus transferring a champion from the side of the enemy to the side of Christ.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 124.

“Christ had commanded [H]is disciples to go and teach all nations; but the previous teachings which they had received from the Jews made it difficult for them to fully comprehend the words of their Master, and therefore they were slow to act upon them. They called themselves the children of Abraham, and regarded themselves as the heirs of divine promise. It was not until several years after the Lord’s ascension that their minds were sufficiently expanded to clearly understand the intent of Christ’s words, that they were to labor for the conversion of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews.”—Ellen G. White, Sketches From the Life of Paul, p. 38.

Discussion Questions:

1. Dwell more on Jesus’ question to Paul on the Damascus road: “Why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4, NRSV). For Paul, this question was an indication that Jesus of Nazareth had indeed been resurrected from the dead. But, more than that, it was also an indication of the spiritual identification that exists between Jesus and His church (see also Matt. 25:34-45). The implication is obvious: any harm done to the church is harm done to Jesus Himself. In practical terms, what does this mean to us today?

2. Witnessing for Jesus involves suffering for Jesus. It is not by chance that the Greek word for “witness” (martys) came to be associated with “martyrdom.” What does it mean to suffer for Jesus?

3. There’s an old Latin saying, Credo ut intelligam,which means, “I believe in order that I may understand.” How does this idea help us understand what happened to Saul of Tarsus? That is, before his conversion, before Paul became a believer in Jesus, he didn’t understand. Only after his experience was he able to comprehend. What lesson can we draw from this for the times when we may find ourselves frustrated with those who don’t believe in truths that seem so clear to us?

Disalin semula oleh : A. A. Pondili