Junior and/or Earliteen Sabbath School June 14, 2008

Construction of church in Moscow, Russia Haiti’s Voice of Hope Radio Station Since 1912 Seventh-day Adventists have helped fund special mission projects through a special offering called the Thirteenth Sabbath offering. Over the past 95 years more than 1,200 Thirteenth Sabbath projects have been completed. Shalom Learning Center in Miami, Florida

Missionaries have been sent into new fields, mission schools have been established, hospitals and clinics have been opened, all because believers gave their mission offerings faithfully, sacrificially. Construction of hospital in Buea, Cameroon Global Mission pioneers in India

Next time you give your mission offering, think about the people whose stories you’ve read or heard every Sabbath. Think about the missionaries and the lay workers who have worked so hard to share the gospel of Jesus with those who have never heard. They are not a “black hole.” They are the face of Adventist mission. Thank you for giving your weekly mission offerings and for praying for Adventist missions around the world. You do make a difference. The Lohr family, missionaries in Nigeria.

To get a peek at what your mission dollars are doing around the world and will do in the future, check out the Web site at Learn of the vision for how the gospel of Jesus will be shared by the Seventh-day Adventist church from now through So Where Does Your Offering Go? Tell the world! Tell me! The ultimate goal of Tell the World is to provide every person on earth with the chance to know Jesus Christ.

Information on following slides adapted from Adventist Mission Youth and Adult Magazine and the SDA Encyclopedia. This Quarter the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering is going to the Inter-American Division

“Go into all the world and preach the good news.” Mark 16:15, NIV Find the Inter-American Division

This quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help: build worship halls at the University of the Southern Caribbean in Trinidad build worship halls at the University of the Southern Caribbean in Trinidad build churches for existing congregations in central Mexico build churches for existing congregations in central Mexico upgrade campgrounds for lay evangelism training in Mexico upgrade campgrounds for lay evangelism training in Mexico How is the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering going to be used?

The division is made up of many countries, starting from Mexico through Central America to northern South America and including all of the Caribbean Islands.

The Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union will receive part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering. The Union covers most of the territory south of Mexico City (the states of Guerrero, Hidalgo, Mexico, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, and the southeast portion of Tabasco). Except for a couple of large cities, such as Veracruz and Puebla, the area has mostly smaller cities, farming, and light industry. A large portion of it (south from Puebla to Oaxaca) is desert and semi-desert and rolling hills. People eke out a living there, but not a good one. Catemaco Lake

The church tends to grow fastest among the poorer people who have little hope for a better life on this earth. But these people can least afford to build a house of worship. For this reason, part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help construct 28 churches in the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union. Please plan for a generous offering. This congregation meets in the shelter of this PVC pipe and tarp “church.”

Collect Offering

Exploring God’s World In this section we study one of the countries in the division where our Thirteenth Sabbath offering is going.

Today we are going to learn about Guatemala.

Where is Guatemala

Flag of Guatemala

Time for the Mission Story We are taking the good news to the entire world. Read the Mission Story on pages 24 and 25 of the Second Quarter Adventist Mission Youth and Adult Magazine while slowly progressing through the next 3 slides.

The name of the person in the story is “Wilma.”

This story is from Grenada.

The title of the story is “Determined.”

Lesson Study Time

Today we will study: THE INVISIBLE KINGDOM

Has anyone ever said anything to you that made you think differently than you had ever thought before? How did that change your life?

Imagine a boy your age being on the mountainside and listening to Jesus.

Matthew 5:16, NIV P O W E R T E X T Photo by Neva MacPhee

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Photo by Neva MacPhee

P O W E R P O I N T Because God loves us, we accept His values and share them with others. Photo by Neva MacPhee

Shading his eyes from the sun, the boy scanned the crowd for his family.

Last night his father had told the family they were going to come and hear Jesus speak today. At last the boy saw them.

“I was afraid I wouldn’t find you,” he said to his mother. “Me too. I can’t believe how many people are here,” Mother commented.

“I heard that Jesus was going to take charge of His kingdom today,” said the boy.

“Sh-h-h,” his sister said. “I think Jesus is ready to speak.”

The boy looked around and saw many people. He could tell from their clothing and speech that some had come from as far away as Jerusalem.

He even noticed some Pharisees in the group.

Turning his attention back to Jesus, he heard Him say, “The way you behave will show others you are a part of God’s kingdom.”

“Realize that you can do nothing on your own. You must let God take control of everything in your life. By doing this you will find true happiness.”

The boy thought, I’d like to do that, but sometimes it is really hard.

“If you look around you, you will see many who don’t know God,” Jesus continued. “You should feel very sad about this.”

“When you do, you will find ways to tell others about God.”

“As you tell others about Him, you will find real happiness in knowing God yourself.”

The boy leaned over and whispered, “Father, does He mean I need to tell my friends about Him?”

“Not just friends, son,” Father replied, “He also means strangers.”

Jesus wasn’t done speaking. “If you give your life completely to God, you will let Him control how you act.”

“You will let other people see that God is in your life. If your friends try to start an argument or a fight, you will do all you can to stop it.”

The boy squirmed. Did Jesus know he had a bad temper? He’d have to ask God to give Him the power to change that.

“When you are God’s child,” Jesus said, “your friendships with others will work better. You will try to see things as others see them.”

That’s how Grandpa is with everyone, the boy thought. Maybe that’s why so many people come to him for advice.

His attention was drawn back to what Jesus was saying next.

Jesus continued, “You will want to be right with God so much that it will be like you are starving and want food to eat.”

“You can never get enough of what God has to offer you.”

“But I have to warn you,” Jesus continued. “If you decide to follow God with all your heart, it won’t be easy. People will make fun of you

or say bad things about you or even try to hurt you. But God will take care of you.”

The boy looked around the crowd. He could see some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They didn’t look very happy. In fact, maybe they didn’t really know God.

“If you light an oil lamp, you don’t put it under a container so no one can use its light,” Jesus told the crowd.

“Instead you set it where it will give the most light. That is how you will be when you are God’s child.”

“You will be like a light on a hilltop, shining God’s love to everyone around you.”

The boy leaned over to his father again and said, “I want to be the kind of person Jesus is talking about. I want to be a part of His kingdom.”

“You understand that you can't do it on you own, don’t you?” asked Father.

“Yes, Jesus said God will give me the power to do it,” replied the boy.

“And He will,” said Father. “According to Jesus, all you need is His invisible kingdom in your heart,

to want it with all your heart, and then to share it with others.”

“Father, do you think I could be a prince in the kingdom?” the boy mused. “I believe you already are,” Father smiled.

Let’s read Jesus’ sermon and imagine we were there listening.

Matthew 5, NIV 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Matthew 5, NIV 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5, NIV

Now let’s look at some of the words Jesus used, and decide if they are positive words (thumbs up), or negative words (thumbs down).

The first word is “blessed” (happy or fortunate). Give a thumbs up if you think that is a positive word. Give a thumbs down if you think that it is negative.

How about “poor in spirit”? Positive? Or negative?

And how about these words? “Kingdom of heaven” “mourn” Thumbs up, or thumbs down?

“comforted” “meek” “inherit the earth” “hunger and thirst” “filled”

“merciful” “mercy” “pure in heart” “God” “peacemakers”

“sons of God” “persecuted” “insult you” “persecute you”

Or these: Falsely say evil against you Falsely say evil against you Rejoice Rejoice Be glad Be glad reward reward

Did you all agree on all the votes? What is Jesus telling us? Would He give a thumbs down on “poor”?

Jesus shows us how to make it thumbs up. And how is that? What does this verse tell us is ahead for the poor in spirit?

How were Jesus’ words different from what the people had been taught?

Because God loves us, we accept His values and share them with others.

Important Information PowerPoints® art copyrighted © 2003 by the Review and Herald® Publishing Association. Text and illustrations from Adventist Mission Youth and Adult Magazine is copyright © by the General Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists. Scriptures quoted from NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1980, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. ClickArt Infinity by Broderbund, © 1999 TLC Multimedia Inc.

You will want to have a hard copy of the Mission Story ready to read during the Mission Story section. You can find the story on pages 24 and 25 of the Second Quarter Adventist Mission Youth and Adult Magazine. The title of the story is “Determined.” You can go to the website and find the link titled “Publications” to download the Adventist Mission Youth and Adult Magazine. You will want to have a hard copy of the Mission Story ready to read during the Mission Story section. You can find the story on pages 24 and 25 of the Second Quarter Adventist Mission Youth and Adult Magazine. The title of the story is “Determined.” You can go to the website and find the link titled “Publications” to download the Adventist Mission Youth and Adult Magazine. Notes to Teachers

Copyright Grants Pass Seventh-day Adventist School Art and graphics copyrighted by the General Conference and the Review and Herald® are included on slides 37, 41-51, , 60-62, 64, and 75. Images and artwork are copyrighted by the Pacific Press Publishing Assoc., Review and Herald Publishing Assoc., It Is Written and others. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Copyright Notices