THIRD QUARTER 2026
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #10
SEPTEMBER 4, 2026
"AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN MINISTRY".

 

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body" (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).

 

Paul contrasts the painful reactions from enemies of Jesus with the positive outlook Christians have when they focus on God’s promises. 

 

I love what Paul says in Philippians chapter 4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand” (v 4-5).

 

No matter what circumstances we face, we can always rejoice in the Lord, for He has redeemed us, given us eternal life, promised He will be with us always, given us angels to protect us, and the Holy Spirit to be our teacher and helper  (1 Timothy 2:5,6; Titus 2:4; John 3:16; 1 John 5:10,11; Matthew 28:20; Psalm 34:7; Luke 11:13; John 16:7-13). 

 

God has also promised He can bring good out of whatever situation we are in (Romans 8:28). 

 

So instead of murmuring and complaining about negative situations, we are to “Rejoice in the Lord always” and “in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4,6-7).

 

Philippians 1:9-11 also provides some helpful direction in how to pray when faced with people who reject us or fight against us. Paul wrote this while he himself was in chains. 

 

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

 

Paul sang while he was in the Philippian jail even though he suffered physically from being beaten. Then when the earthquake struck and freed him from his chains, he was more concerned about saving the life of the jailer than getting out of jail. He truly loved others as Jesus loved him (John 15:12).

 

Sunday: Fruits of an authentic Ministry

 

Years ago, Ruth Harms Calkin wrote the song, “Do you know oh Christian you’re a sermon in shoes, . . . so walk it and talk it, live it and give, teach it and preach it, a sermon in shoes.”

 

This song reminds us that the way we live our life is the most powerful sermon we can give every day. Ellen White shared a similar message when she wrote:

 

“The badge of Christianity is not an outward sign, not the wearing of a cross or a crown, but it is that which reveals the union of man with God. By the power of His grace manifested in the transformation of character the world is to be convinced that God has sent His Son as its Redeemer. 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” —Ministry of Healing, p. 470.

Tuesday: Christ-focused Ministry of Reconciliation

Paul’s constant goal in life was to please the Lord. He knew that everyone would appear before the judgment seat of Christ, to receive what is due for what they did while living on earth (2 Cor. 5:9-10).

At first, this sounds frightening. In verse 11 Paul even admits the solemn and significant event the judgment will be. The NKJV has the “terror of the Lord.” The ESV has the “fear of the Lord.”

This Greek word translated as terror and fear is used by Mark to describe the awe and amazement the  disciples had AFTER Jesus calmed the storm. At this time there was nothing of which to be afraid. However, Mark says “they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’” (Mark 4:41).

Paul himself experienced the power of God when Jesus appeared to him as he traveled to Damascus. Knowing Jesus could have struck him dead for how he had been persecuting Christians, Paul recognized that Jesus is not only powerful, but also very loving. He was always amazed that God would use him to share the good news. 

“For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:9).

In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Paul spells out his true motive in living for Jesus. “The love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

I wrote a detailed explanation of 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 for the SS Insights for the February 28, 2026 lesson titled, “Reconciliation and Hope.” Instead of repeating it, I’ll make a few comments here.

When we understand that we did die in Christ the death we have earned, we can rejoice over what the Bible says this accomplished. He has freed us from condemnation and the consequences of sin (Romans 5:18; 2 Corinthians 5:19). 

When we understand that God has given us eternal life through the perfect life and death of Jesus, we are motivated by love and appreciation to live for Jesus. Experiencing God’s perfect love, will drive fear out of their hearts (John 3:16-17; 1 John 5:10-13),

 We can know when people have not experienced the fullness of God’s love when:

• They use fear, guilt, and shame to motivate others. 
• They are impatient with others. 
• They harbor resentment toward others.
• They are critical of others.
•  They live with insecurity, fear, guilt, and shame. 

In Matthew 7:1-2, Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Then in verse 16 He said, “By their fruit you shall know them.”

A casual reading could lead someone to say Jesus is contradicting Himself. Isn’t evaluating someone’s fruit a form of judgment? It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. The context is clear that some people are not trustworthy. We are to evaluate the fruit of a person for two reasons:

1.To determine how much we can trust them.

2.To prayerfully evaluate the need of a person to determine how to love and serve them.

In 1970 Dottie Rambo, the gospel singing artist, heard the news that her brother had cancer and only had weeks to live. When she visited him, she prayed for him and encouraged him to give his heart to the Lord. 

But he refused, telling her “I’ve been mean. I’ve been addicted to drugs and even spent time in jail.” Dottie reminded her brother that Jesus left the 99 sheep for the one lost sheep. After she left, Dottie contemplated the grace of God in the context of her brother’s situation. Then she wrote a song that communicates how God sees us and how we can see others. 

“He Looked Beyond My Fault and saw my need.” 

 

Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise
For it was grace that bought my Liberty
I do not know just why he came to love me so
He looked beyond my faults and saw my needs
 

I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary
To view the cross where Jesus died for me
How marvelous the grace that caught my falling soul
He looked beyond my faults and saw all my need.

When Dottie came back to visit her brother, he told her that he had surrendered his life to Jesus and that he had peace with God. At his funeral, she sang the song inspired by her interaction with her brother.

In 2 Corinthians 5:16, Paul hinted at the same message that is in the song.  When we understand the gospel, “we regard no one according to the flesh.” Through our human perspective, we tend to put people in different classes: the good or bad; rich or poor; black or white or Hispanic, etc. We also judge people based upon their job status, political party, favorite sports team, or religion.

God has a different perspective. Apart from Jesus, He knows we all are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17). 

However, “In Christ,” God’s message is totally different. He says we are loved, redeemed, forgiven, justified, sanctified, saved from the wages of sin, qualified for heaven, and sitting in heaven with Jesus now (John 3:16-17; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 1:12-14; Romans 3:23-24; 4:5; 5:6-10,18; Hebrews 10:10,14; Ephesians 2:4-6; 1 John 5:10-11).

One reason many do not see everyone from God’s perspective is because of a misunderstanding of 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Most people think our choice is the only one involved in being “in Christ.” The truth is there are two:

• God’s choice. 
• Our choice.

God took the initiative to unite the human race with Jesus when He became human. 

“But of Him [God] you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

Based on God’s choice, the old that passes away is the condemnation that came from Adam, as well as our own sin. The new that comes is the “justification of life” that Jesus earned for everyone. 

As a result of what Jesus has done, everyone has freedom to choose to embrace or reject Jesus as their Savior.

Based on our choice to invite Jesus to be our Savior and Lord, the old that passes away is the love for sin (Philippians 3:7,8; 1 John 2:15-16). The new that comes is a “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6; Philippians 3:9-11). 

In 2 Corinthians 5:19-20, Paul reminds us that because of what Jesus did, God is not counting any of our sins against us. In other words, we are free to come to Him just as we are, which is the only way we can come. Those who have experienced reconciliation with God become ambassadors for God, inviting others to be reconciled to Him.

How do we communicate our choice to be reconciled to God? 

1.Through honest confession of our sin and need for a Savior (1 John 1:9).

2.Through honest repentance, which is a choice to turn away from sin and Satan as our master and giving God permission to come into our lives and be our Savior from all aspects of sin (Romans 2:4).

3.Through giving God permission to use us as His ambassadors to invite others to be reconciled Him (2 Corinthians-20). Being an Ambassador for God means we are to: 

a.Study the Bible to understand Gods will for our lives. 

b.Let Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, be our teacher and Helper (Luke 6:13: John 16:8-13).

c.Lovingly serve others as God has loved us (John 15:13). As we do that, we begin to gain the confidence of others. Then we can invite them to let Jesus be their Savior.

Call To Holiness (2 Corinthians 6:11-7:1) and Comfort and Joy (2 Corinthians 7)

Reconciliation with God will lead to seeking reconciliation with others. Walking with God will lead us to separate from people and activities that are rebelling against God. The promises in these verses give us courage and strength to make the difficult decisions to put God first in our lives.

The fruit of confession, repentance, reconciliation, with people, and walking with God will be much comfort, harmony, joy, love, and peace.

 

—Clinton Meharry