Pelajaran Sekolah Sabat 11, Jumaat 14 September 2018

Pelajaran Sekolah Sabat 11
Jumaat 14  September 2018

Kajian Tambahan : “Pada majlis tersebut, Paulus dan para sahabatnya secara rasmi mempersembahkan kepada pemimpin-pemimpin kerja di Jerusalem sumbangan yang diberikan oleh gereja-gereja bukan Yahudi untuk membantu orang miskin di kalangan saudara-saudara Yahudi mereka…

“Persembahan sukarela ini membuktikan kesetiaan saudara baharu orang-orang bukan Yahudi kepada pekerjaan Tuhan yang teratur di seluruh dunia dan harus diterima oleh semua dengan pengakuan yang berterima kasih, tetapi jelas kepada Paulus dan para sahabatnya bahawa walaupun di antara mereka yang sebelum ini mereka berpegang ada beberapa orang yang tidak dapat menghargai semangat kasih sayang yang telah mendorong pemberian hadiah tersebut.”-Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, ms. 399, 400.

“Jika hanya pemimpin-pemimpin gereja menyerahkan sepenuhnya perasaan pahit mereka kepada rasul dan menerima dia sebagai salah seorang yang khusus dipanggil Tuhan untuk membawa Injil kepada orang bukan Yahudi, Tuhan akan selamatkan dia kepada mereka. Tuhan tidak menetapkan bahawa kerja keras Paulus akan berakhir begitu lama, tetapi Dia tidak menangkis aliran keadaan yang mana para pemimpin gereja di Jerusalem telah berikan.

“Semangat yang sama masih menuntun kepada hasil yang sama. Pengabaian untuk menghargai dan memperbaiki ketentuan-ketentuan rahmat ilahi telah menahan pemberian berkat berlimpah kepada gereja. Berapa kerapkah Tuhan telah melanjutkan kerja beberapa pendeta yang setia, jika kerjannya dihargai! Tetapi jika gereja membenarkan musuh jiwa untuk menghindar pemahaman, supaya mereka tidak mewakili dan menyalahtafsir perkataan dan perbuatan hamba Kristus, sekirannya orang yang beriman membiarkan diri mereka berpegang kepada cara mereka serta menghindari pengaruhnya, TUHAN kadang kala membuang daripada mereka berkat yang telah Dia berikan.

“Setelah kedua-dua tangan dilipatkan ke atas dada yang tiada denyutan nadi, apabila amaran suara dan dorongan menjadi senyap, lalu keengganan akan bangkit untuk melihat dan menilai berkat-berkat yang mereka telah berikan kepada mereka. Kematian mereka dapat mencapai apa yang gagal mereka lakukan dalam kehidupan.”- ms. 417, 418.

Soalan-Soalan Perbincangan :

1. Pergi ke Jerusalem sekalipun mengetahui dia tidak akan dilayan, Paulus meletakkan kepentingan gereja mengatasi keinginan pribadi. Sejauh mana kita ikut contohnya?

2. Apakah yang kita akan pelajari daripada cara kompromi Paulus di Jerusalem? Bagaimana kita benar secara politik tanpa mengalah dari segi prinsip-prinsip kehidupan kita? Atau bolehkah kita lakukan?

3. Perpaduan gereja selalu sangat penting. Bagaimanakah kita dapat belajar berkerjasama, menyatupadukan, sekalipun apabila kita mempunyai pandangan yang berbeza dalam banyak perkara?

Sabbath School Lesson 11
Friday  September 14

Further Study: “On this occasion, Paul and his companions formally presented to the leaders of the work at Jerusalem the contributions forwarded by the Gentile churches for the support of the poor among their Jewish brethren. …

“These freewill offerings betokened the loyalty of the Gentile converts to the organized work of God throughout the world and should have been received by all with grateful acknowledgment, yet it was apparent to Paul and his companions that even among those before whom they now stood were some who were unable to appreciate the spirit of brotherly love that had prompted the gifts.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 399, 400.

“Had the leaders in the church fully surrendered their feeling of bitterness toward the apostle, and accepted him as one specially called of God to bear the gospel to the Gentiles, the Lord would have spared him to them. God had not ordained that Paul’s labors should so soon end, but He did not work a miracle to counteract the train of circumstances to which the course of the leaders in the church at Jerusalem had given rise.

“The same spirit is still leading to the same results. A neglect to appreciate and improve the provisions of divine grace has deprived the church of many a blessing. How often would the Lord have prolonged the work of some faithful minister, had his labors been appreciated! But if the church permits the enemy of souls to pervert the understanding, so that they misrepresent and misinterpret the words and acts of the servant of Christ; if they allow themselves to stand in his way and hinder his usefulness, the Lord sometimes removes from them the blessing which He gave. … ”

“After the hands are folded upon the pulseless breast, when the voice of warning and encouragement is silent, then the obdurate may be aroused to see and prize the blessings they have cast from them. Their death may accomplish that which their life has failed to do.”—Pages 417, 418.

Discussion Questions:

1. By going to Jerusalem despite knowing he would not be welcome, Paul put the interests of the church above his own personal interests. To what extent should we follow his example?

2. What can we learn from Paul’s compromise in Jerusalem? How can we be politically correct without surrendering the principles we live by? Or can we?

3. Church unity is always so important. How can we learn to work together, unified, even when we have different views of things?