"i am" 2011 week of prayer

8/7/2019 "I AM" 2011 week of prayer

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EDITORIAL STAFF

Gilbert CangyDEPARTMENT DIRECTOR

[email protected]

Jonatn TejelEDITOR

[email protected]

Maria A. DunchieLAYOUT & DESIGN, EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

[email protected]

Erica RichardsCOPY EDITOR

[email protected]

DEPARTMENTAL ADVISOR

Armando Miranda

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

Mulumba Tshimanga East-Central Africa Division

[email protected]

Stephan Sigg Euro-Africa [email protected]

Kasap Gennady Euro-Asia [email protected]

Benjamin Carballo Inter-American Division

[email protected] Nocandy Inter-American Division

[email protected]

James Black North American [email protected]

Manny Cruz North American Division

[email protected]

Nakk Hyung Kim Northern Asia-Pacific [email protected]

Areli Barbosa South American [email protected]

Busi Khumalo Southern Africa-Indian Ocean [email protected]

Nickolas Kross South Pacific [email protected]

Jobbie Yabut Southern Asia-Pacific [email protected]

Lionel F. Lyngdoh Southern Asia Division

lyngdoh@sud_adventist.org

Paul Tompkins Trans-European Divis ion

[email protected]

John Enang Western Africa [email protected]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Debbonnaire Kovacs has been writing since

she oul hol a penl, an sol her rst story to Junior Guidewhen she was eleven years ol. By her twentes, she reognzethat writing and speaking were not just what she loved to do,

but what Go wante her to o. She has wrtten off an on forost of her lfe, but has been wrtng full te sne 1990, havngwrtten twelve books nlung the rst, seon, fth, an

sxth grae Bble textbooks use n Aventst shools n NorthAera, an over 150 stores an artles for all ages. She speaksat camp meetings, womens retreats, and other events, and also

oes opyetng. She urges everyone to take ther reas toGo an see whether they are ore than just reas. They aybe assgnents fro the Kng of Heaven.

You can contact Debbonnaire at:

www.ebbonnare.o or [email protected]


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http://gcyouthministries.org Youth Week of Prayer. 2011 3

editorial:our i.d.

on the web : gcyouthministries.com

When yo travel by air,the rst procedre togo throgh when yo arrive atthe airport is to go to the chec-in service conter to hand overyor baggage and to receive aboarding pass. At that time, yowill be ased to present yorID, or IDENTIFICATION card,which has yor pictre, name,

date o birth, and address on it.When yo proceed to the sec-rity checpoint, again, yo haveto present yor ID and boardingpass. When yo arrive to yordestination in another contry,yo have to present yor IDcard and passport beore yocan leave the airport.

Does someone really needan IDENTITY? Is it necessaryor yo to have an IDENTITY?The answer is, it is absoltelynecessary. Yo have to have anIDENTITY. I yo dont haveyor IDENTIFICATION, yowold not be allowed to travel

by air or by sea. IDENTIFICA-TION is a reqirement or alltravelers.

Yo and I are travelers,and we are on or jorneyto Heaven. We mst have anIDevidence o WHO WE ARE.

What is yor IDENTITY as aSeventh-day Adventist yoth?

IDENTITY can be dened asdistinctiveness, niqeness,particlarity, character, or in-tegrity. Ths by its denition,Seventh-day Adventist yothshold be distinctive, niqe,have a noble character, anddemonstrate integrity.

The year 2011has been desig-nated as The Year o Identityor the Seventh-day Adventistyoth arond the world. TheEncarta Dictionary denesIDENTITY as the name oressential character that identi-es somebody or something.

So in this context, or identityis ond in the name o orchrch, Seventh-day Adventist.Yo are a Seventh-day eeper,or in other words, yo are aSabbath eeper. An Adventistis someone who believes in andwaits or the Second Advent,the coming o Jess Christ.

So or identity as a chrch isa grop o people who placestheir hope in Jess, eagerlyawaits the Second Coming,

and eeps all o His command-

ments, inclding the Seventh-

day Sabbath.

In Selected

Messages, boo

2, p. 384, EllenWhite wrote, We

are Seventh-day

Adventists, and

o this name we

are never to be ashamed.

My dear yong people, yo

have yor nameSeventh-day Adventist; yo have yorIDENTITYa child o God;eep it p, hold it tight, raise itp throghot the year. Be atre and aithl Seventh-dayAdventist, not on the seventh-day only, bt throghot allseven days.

This year the world chrchhas been challenged to pray 7days a wee, at either 7 in themorning, or 7 in the evening.I invite yo to become a 777yoth! My prayer is that wemay all board the vehicle bondor Heaven one day soon, and

that we will strive to discoveror IDENTITY in Christ on thisearth and contine to shine orHim.

Hisia MissahGC Associate Yoth Director


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W H O W A S J E S U S ?

H O W d i d H E K N O W W H O H E W A S ?

W H O A m i ?

H O W c A N i K N O W W H O i A m ?


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2011

SubScription: T de a subsciptin Yuth Ministy ACCENT, give a git membeship, change addess make enquiies, visit u websiteat youth.gc.adventist.org send subsciptin de and payment t the addess bew. youth ministry accent is a quatey pubicatin the Yuth MinistiesDepatment, Genea Cneence Seventh-day Adventists. A ights eseved. Cpyight 2010, by The Genea Cneence SDA Yuth MinistiesDepatment. A ne-yea subsciptin is US$18.00; Week Paye issue US$5.00. If YoUr ISSUE IS DAMAGED or MISSING, ca 301-680-6170 emaius at [email protected]. We wi epace the issue thats missing. for EDITorIAl MATTErS: Unsicited manuscipts ae wecme, as we as

ettes t the edit, yuth ministy tips, yuth vuntee sevice epts, and pgamming and sty ideas. Send manuscipts t YMA Edit at the addessbew. CoNTACT INforMATIoN: Telephone: (301) 680-6170 Fax: (301) 680-6155 Email: [email protected] or [email protected]: youth.gc.adventist.org. Mailing Address: GC Youth Ministries Department, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600, USA.

ywop 3 Editorial 6 Read This First11 Jesus, The Light of the World19 Jesus, The Door31 Jesus, The Bread of Life

41 Jesus, The Good Shepherd51 Jesus, The Way, The Truth, and The Life63 Jesus, The True Vine75 Jesus, The Resurrection and The Life

83 Jesus, The Great I Am


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6 Youth Week of Prayer. 2011 http://gcyouthministries.org

identitykNOWING WHO YOu ARE IN CHRIST

Who are we? Regardless o or earthly relationships and or national/cltral loyalties, weare sons and daghters o God. This act calls or a ind o loyalty and living that lits yongmen and women above the crowd to stand tall or God. Bt in this hor it means more thanjst being loyal to God.

The prpose o this special wee o prayer and spirital emphasis is to encorage yo toreexamine who yo are as a Christian. Yo mst now who yo are and what yo standorwhat it means to be a Seventh-day Adventist yoth. The sermons are written as aconversation yo wold have with a grop. Yo will see instrctions, sch as when to havescriptres read alodthese are always in italics and placed in bracets. When there are

specic qestions to as they appear nder the section,Discussion Questions,

which areopen or discssion, so they have no sggested answers.

BE PREPARED

The most important thing yo can do is read over the part yo are spposed to do severaltimes in advance, ntil yo become amiliar with it. DONT READ!! Yo can eep yor parton a podim in ront o yo and reer to it when necessary. Mae lots o eye contact, movearond, spea with expression, and mae it yors.

For the anecdotal stories, yo may want to invite someone to help yo role play these. It willmae them more interesting and give other people a part. These will sally reqire only twopeople; each person can read his or her part.

WhAt thE symBols mEAn

Whenever yo see this symbol yo are at the beginning o the aalget someone to role play with yo.

Whenever yo see this symbol yo are at the start o the lesson, l

applahow the Bible text and story can be applied to or daily lives.

read this first

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WhAt I mEAnsI, in these lessons, is yo, the speaer. The

writer didnt se I mch, becase shes not yo,and she doesnt now what yo might say. Iere i a I aee a de f ,

ae i i de. I ave a pera

experiee r ii a wrk beer a

e ive, e i. y are e peaker. Behmoros. People remember things they laghabot, and laghing together maes them eel a

sense o belonging and amily.

nAmEs

This is important. I the names o people inthe stories are the same as someone in yoradience, it wold be a good idea to changethem. Remember, these are composite stories,and the names can be changed to anything yolie. Jst eep them diverse and international, or

mae them appropriate or where yo are.

DIscussIon QuEstIons

There are some discssion qestions at theend o each section. These are better i sed insmaller grops o abot 3-8 persons, bt i needbe can also be sed with the entire grop, i itisnt too big. They can also be sed as individal

thoght qestions or or jornaling.

scRIPtuRE READIngs

Within each presentation there are scriptrepassages. The speaer can read them, especiallyi yo are in a large room, lie an assemblyhall, bt when possible, call on other people toread the texts, or or longer passages tae trns

reading a verse or two at a time.

Another good idea is to mae posters o theeight Lie Identity Principles and hang the

corresponding one each night. I yo do that, onthe last night yo can have all eight o them inront o the grop as yo review the principlesdring the presentation. Here are all eight othem:

lie Idei Priipe #1.

Becase Jess is the Light o the world, I canbe a candle, lighting others paths to Him.

lie Idei Priipe #2.

Becase Jess is my Door, I can be a dooreeper,welcoming others into Gods amily.

lie Idei Priipe #3.

Becase Jess is the Bread o lie, I can be agrain o wheat, giving mysel to eed others

His Word.

lie Idei Priipe #4.

Becase Jess is my Shepherd, I can be alamb that ollows aithlly, and also an nder-shepherd, helping to care or other lambs.

lie Idei Priipe #5.

Becase Jess is the Way, the Trth, andthe Lie, I can wal in His Way, hold p HisTrth, and share an abndant, ll lie withthose arond me.

lie Idei Priipe #6.

Becase Jess is the Tre Vine, I can be ablessed branch, drawing my norishmentrom Him and gloriying God with mch

rit.


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stARt A PRAyER JouRnAl

Nothing is greater or yor personal spirital

growth than time spent in prayer. Yor yothgrop will grow as yo grow. Prayer jornalingwill help yo enconter God in new and excitingways. Yo will be able to trac yor wal withGod as yo go bac and review answered prayers,see how He has lead yo, step by step, each day.New, resh, ideas will come to mind as yo spendtime in His presence jornaling yor prayers.Yo can nd many ideas online on starting andeeping a prayer jornal. Jst go to http://www.google.com and type in the words starting aprayer jornal.

FoRm A WEEK oF PRAyER DEVEloPmEnt/

REVIEW tEAm

Depending on the size o yor chrch, this gropcan be or to eight persons who will go throgh

all eight days readings with yo. Inclde onyor team only interested and committed yongadlts and yoth ministry leaders (Pathnder,Sabbath School, etc., yor pastor/s); this isimportant becase it gives ownership to theentire grop, rather than jst yo and yorassistant. As the grop to commit to meetingor at least ve weesat least one wee or two

lessons, and an extra wee to wrap things p. Besre to identiy the goal and direction yo wantto go, preerably at the rst meeting, and choosea yong person to spea or each day.

FInD A mEntoR

This year we want to encorage yo to dosomething yo may not have done beorend

a mentor. Find an experienced yoth leader,

lie Idei Priipe #7.

Becase Jess is the Resrrection and the Lie,

I can rejoice in His newness o lie now andtrst Him or lie eternal.

lie Idei Priipe #8.

Becase Jess the Great I AM is, was, andalways will be, becase He lived ot a Treand Complete Lie here on earth, I can be mytre and complete sel in Him.

scRIBE

It is really good to have someone serve as ascribemaybe a dierent person each nightandeep notes on a white board at the ront. Some othe lessons are better sited to this than others,bt whenever yo can inclde short commentsor sggestions rom the adience, thats always

helpl.

stARt youR PlAnnIng ImmEDIAtEly

We now that leadership sometimes changesat the end o the year; bt please, i yo will nolonger be the AY leader next year, do not let thatstop yo rom planning or this special wee. Startyor planning, develop yor target, get yor team

together, and mae sre yor pastor is a part othat team.

choosE A thEmE song

Involve yor yoth choir; i yor chrch does nothave a yoth choir, this is the perect time to getone started. Pic ot songs that yo all lie, andwhich t the topic o each evening or choose a

song or the entire wee.


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to serve as volnteers. Involve some o thesevolnteers in yor development/review team.

scREEnIng thE VoluntEERs

While we may not lie to admit it, the chrch isnot a perect place, and all volnteers mst bescreened. Develop yor own screening process,as the togh qestions. Please contact yor localconerence/nion/division and get inormation/gidelines on screening volnteers in yor area.

tAKE A suRVEy

Find ot who yor yong people are. Establisha core grop among the yong people in yorchrch, even i they are not attending the yothmeetings. Share yor plans and goals or theWeek o Prayerwith them. Start slowly, start

small, bt begin early.

PlAn A Re-EncountER PRogRAm

use the last Sabbath to lanch an annal Re-enconter program, spanning three months,clminating in a Homecoming Sabbathcelebration. Start a prayer list or all inactiveyoth.

PlAn A communIon sERVIcE/AgAPE

FEAstA commnion service on Friday evening towardthe end o the service or on Sabbath morningis a great idea. There are many ways yo cando this to mae it memorable or yor grop.For more ideas on the Agape Feast visit: www.

gcyouthministries.org

one yo can trst to be honestsomeone whowill have the gts to tell yo what yo need to

change, what yo need to eep doing, or whatyo need to totally do away with in yor ministry.Mae sre yor mentor is also someone who canhelp gide yo spiritally, someone yo can trnto or spirital gidance, who will as yo thetogh qestions and will help yo wor throghproblems. Also, this mentor shold be someonewho will help yo eep Christ at the center o

yor plans and hold yo accontable.

InVolVE youR PAREnts As VoluntEERs

I served as the AY leader o a chrch, whereone year, the pastor challenged s to dosomething dierent or the Yoth Wee oPrayer. The committee decided to incldedrama in their Wee o Prayer. Every night there

was dramatization beore the actal sermons.Everyone made sre they came ot early; they didnot want to miss anything, and neither did theirparents, who ater taing them to the rehearsalswanted to see what the big day wold be lie.This way, the pastor involved the parents in hisplanning, and the yoth involvedthe parentsby having them bring them to the rehearsals.So, parents can become yor greatest ans and

expand yor ability to reach more people.Many times adlt volnteers do not realizehow mch the yoth loo p to them, so i yoinvolve more parents, who already now manyo the yoth, they will be more than willing toserve since they already connect with some othe yoth in yor grop. Try and nd at leastve adlts that most o the yoth loo p to,

then challenge specic yoth to as those adlts


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Wen Chng glowered at the Organic Pineapple Banana Dessert Smoothie sitting on the table

in ront o him. He barely noticed the waitress stopping by his table.Something wrong, Wen? Is yor smoothie oay?

Wen started. Oh, hi, Andrea. Sorry, I didnt see yo. Realizing belatedly what she had said, helooed blanly at the tall, rosted glass, seeing it or the rst time. Oh, yeah, yeah, its ne. To tell thetrth, I havent even tasted it yet.

Andrea glanced arond the small ca and then sat down across rom him. Its not bsy yet. Whatsp? Something trobling yo?

Wen met her concerned eyes. This was the sort o thing that made him lie Andrea. He smiled orthe rst time that morning. Yore amazing, yo now?

Andrea looed srprised. Me? Why?

Yo have so many worries o yor own. Three ids, two jobs, an absentee hsband . . .

Yada yada, said Andrea, fapping a hand. I ased what was p with you!

Thats my point, said Wen. Yore always the rst person to notice someone else in troble. Dontyo have enogh trobles o yor own?

Jesus said, I am the Light of the World

the Light of the WorLd

Life identityPrinciPLe #1

Because Jesus is the

Light o the world, I can

be a candle, lighting

others paths to Him.


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DAy 1

Maybe thats why I notice,said Andrea with a grin. Other

peoples trobles are way moreinteresting than yor own,havent yo ever noticed? Comeontal to me! The doctor is in,and the cloc is rnning.

Wen grimaced. Well, orone thing, Im thining abotchanging my majoragain! Im

in my second year o niversityalready, and I dont now whatI want to do when I grow p, i Iever do!

Andrea grinned again. Thetric might be to as yorselwhat yod want to do i yonever did grow p!

What, yo mean besidesreman, space alien, ormillionaire sotware designer?Wen started to lagh, thenstopped. He pased a second.Hey, thats a really goodidea! I have to thin abotthat! He stirred his smoothie

absentmindedly.Well, said Andrea, that will

be $250! Ill bill yo. She startedto get p, bt Wen stopped her.

Oh, no, thats the least o myworries!

Andrea sat again.

Proessor Ellison gave s this

iller homewor assignment.Yoll never believe it. We have

to write a 10-page essay onWho Am I? Ten pages!! Canyo believe it? I coldnt sep 10 words on that qestion!

Who am I? Its one o thegreat qestions o lie, maybethe greatest qestion o all.We can spend or entire lives

trying to gre ot the answer(or answers) to it. Some neverdo gre it ot. Some donteven try.

I somebody ass, Who areyo? what do yo say? Themost obvios answer, o corse,is yor name. Bt thats jst

what yore called. It doesntreally tell anyone who yo areinside.

What are some otheranswers? Which o thesepossibilities cold yo say?

Im a woman.

Im a man.

Im so-and-sos son ordaghter.

Im a sister or a brother.

Im a mom or a dad.

Im a certain race.

Im rom a certain state.

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http://gcyouthministries.org DA y 1

Im a Christian.

Im a Seventh-day Adventist.

Or yo may answer by sayingwhat yo do:

Im an artist.

Im the scientic type.

Im a compter gee.

I wor at XYZ company.

Im an athlete.The best answer wold be,

Im a child o God, bt whatdoes that really mean? Does itmean we loo a certain way orbehave a certain way? Can yoalways tell or sre i someone isliving as a child o God, jst by

looing at them? Can yo evennow or sre i yo are living asa child o God yorsel?

It seems obvios that thebest way to gre ot what thatwold loo lie is to loo at thelie o the Qintessential Childo God, Jess o Nazareth. And

thats what were going to dodring this Wee o Prayer.

Thin abot the ways inwhich Jess new who He was.This is amazingly interestingwhen yo get into it, becasewe all sort o thin Jess, asthe Son o God, jst knew. Well,

yes, He was the Son o God. He

was both hman and divine(and nobodys going to get that

one gred ottheyve beentrying or centries!) Bt still,as a hman, He started lie hereon earth as a child, the sameas we did, right? He grew andlearned as a child. Im sresome old Jewish grandmothersor rabbis pinched His chee andased Him what He wanted tobe when He grew p! What didHe say? What did He say abotwho He was already, even whenHe was yong? Im Marys son,Im Josephs son, Im a Jew, Imrom Nazareth, Im a carpenter.

One o the ways we nowwho we are is the stories orparents and grandparents tells. Jst imagine the ones Jessheard! When yo were a littlebaby, angels sang over yo,and one o them told me yowere going to save yor peoplerom their sins! Can yo evenimagine how it wold eel as a

10-year-old to hear stories liethat?

Bt how did Jess nowwho He really was? Thats theqestion were going to loo atdring this Wee o Prayer. Notjst what did His parents tellHim, or what did He learn when

He stdied the prophecies, bt


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DAy 1

darness cannot overcome it,which is eqally tre. So its

Jess lie itsel that is the light.Jst by existing, Jess, theFather, and the Holy Spirit, bringlight into the niverse. Maybethats why its the rst thingThey made at creation.

Then in verse 9, John callsJess the tre light, who gives

light to everyone. To everyone!Not that everyone nderstandsor accepts it. Bt thats the basicpromise. Jess comes into theworld to live as a hman beingand to bring light to everyone.His lie is the light, so jst bybeing here, Hes going to bringthis light.

Now lets loo at where Jessactally maes the statementclaiming to be the Light o theworld. Trn with me in yorBibles to John 8:12. When Jesusspoke again to the people, hesaid, I am the light o the world.

Whoever ollows me will neverwalk in darkness, but will havethe light o lie.

This is a very amiliarsaying, bt a lot o people dontrealize what was happeningwhen Jess said it. Its qitesrprising. What is the story

that precedes these words o

how did He really know, deepinside, who He was and what

He was sent to do? I we loo atthose qestions and some o theways He answered them, maybewe can nd ot some ways wecan answer, too. Maybe welllearn some things abot who wereally, trly are on the inside.

In the Gospel o John,

there are seven amos I Amstatements that Jess made.We will stdy all seven o themthis wee, and then well spendsome time on what that whole IAm thing is abot. As a name oGod, yo have to admit its morecreative than most o the onesthe gods o this world claim!

What does it really mean?

The rst I Am statementwe want to loo at is I a eli e wrd.

The rst time in this gospelthat Jess is called the Lightcomes in the very rst chapter.John the Beloved, the yongesto Jess 12 apostles, is mostamos or calling Jess theWord here, bt he also calls Himthe Light. Read verses 4 and 5with me: In Him was lie, andthat lie was the light o men. Thelight shines in the darkness, butthe darkness has not understood

it.Other versions say the


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http://gcyouthministries.org DA y 1

Jess, and in a way serves asintrodction? Its the story o

the woman who was caght inadltery. The leaders wanted tostone her, bt Jess orgave her,and told her to Go and sin nomore. We have all been caghtin sin, whether its big or small,a ew times in or lives. AndI hope that we have all gone

to Jess or orgiveness andcleansing. Thats hard enogh,yet its the easy part. Whatyo do next is the hard part.Go and sin no more. How?Literally or goodness sae,how on earth can we go and sinno more?

Most o the time, when thisstory is told, people stop rightthere. I orgive yo, now goand be good! And what do wego and do? Sin again!

Yoll notice Jess didnt stopthere.

Consider verse 12 again.

Isnt that a strange thing tosay right here? It seems lie acomplete change o sbject! Iam the light o the world. Whatdoes it have to do with go andstop sinning?

Dont yo thin the very rst

thing we need, beore we do

anything at all, is light to see by?Yo can hardly even get dressed

or eat withot at least a littlelight. So how can we now howto live as children o God i wedont have spirital light to seeby?

That woman who committedadltery probably did notbehave that way becase she

jst wanted to be bad. She mightnot have even done it becaseshe was only interested in herown pleasre and didnt careabot what was right or wrong.Most liely, she did it becasewhat she most wanted is thesame thing every single hmanbeing craves, and thats to eelloved. People try all inds othings to mae themselves eelgood, worthwhile and loved,and one really common oneis to hang ot with somebodywho tells yo nice things andcompliments yo, and so yopretend they really love yo

when in yor heart yo nowthey dont care a thing abotyo. Have yo ever done that?It eels good or a little while,bt not or long, right?

Jess was saying to thislonely woman, Follow Me, andyoll live in the tre light o

My love. I now who yo really


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truly are, deep inside, and I loveyo! I dont love yo or what I

can get ot o yo, or becase Iwant to control yo. I love yobecase yo are yo and yoare Mine. I am the light o thiswhole world. Come ollow Me!

How did Jess now thisabot Himsel? As we notedbeore, He was God in hman

fesh and new all inds othings, bt the Bible says Helearned, and we now thatMary told Him the storiesabot His birth and theannoncements the angelsmade. We also now thatwhen He went to the templewhen He was 12, He watchedthe sacrices and began tonderstand lly what Hismission was in this world.(Can yo imagine gringot a thing lie that at 12years old? When I was 12, Iwas more interested in whatthe next cool game was.) We

now Jess spent a lot o timestdying the scrolls o the OldTestament and praying all byHimsel ot in the elds withHis heavenly Father. It seemsto me that, since He promisedthe Holy Spirit to s, and sincewe now the Spirit came on

Him in power at His baptism,

Then He said, Follow Me.Live in the light. God loves

yopass it on!So ar, there havent really

been any srprises. We all nowJess is the Light o the world,and we all probably agree thatlove is another name or thatlight. Bt here is where it getsreally nexpected.

In the Sermon on the Mont,Jess said an astonishing thing.Its not ond in John, bt inMatthew. Trn to Matthew5:14. You are the light o theworld. A city on a hill cannot behidden. Neither do people lighta lamp and put it under a bowl.

Instead they put it on its stand,and it gives light to everyone inthe house. In the same way, letyour light shine beore men, thatthey may see your good deeds andpraise your Father in heaven.

What? Who is the light othe world? Me? Yore idding,

right?Wen Chng wold be

really srprised i somebodywaled p to him while he wassitting there worrying overhis major, and this paper hisreligion proessor assigned,and said, Hey, Wen, yo are

the light o the world! Andrea

we can be sre that the sameSpirit was present with Him

as a child and as a yong man,gring things ot by stdyand prayer the same way wecan. Jess saw that in the Bible,God was the Light Bringer, andpromised even as early as toAdam and Eve that He woldsend a Redeemer to bring bacthe light that sin had dimmed.Jess learned that He was thatRedeemer.

Jess new that the trelight o the world is love. Henew what perect love waslie, in heaven with His Fatherand the Spirit, and He newhow messed p or ideas olove are. He new people tendto either go arond thiningtheyre too bad or God to love,or that God owes them love,becase theyre more lovablethan everybody else. Jesscame to show s what Godslove is lie. He demonstrated

it every day o His lie. Hetoched people others woldnttoch, healed the ones nobodythoght deserved it, orgavepeople or all inds o things,taled with them, laghed withthem, went to their weddingsand parties. . . He loved them!

And they new it.

DAy 1


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wold probably be even moresrprised, even thogh its

clear to onlooers that she isbsy passing on that light olove every day, despite thediclties in her own lie.

Bt thats what Jess said.Not only did He say to all thethosands o listeners that werethere that day, You are the

light o the world, He went onto say that they sholdnt tryto hide their lights nder bowlsor bshels. They shold ptthem p on lampstands and lettheir lights shine on everyonearond. Doesnt that seem indo lie bragging? Hey, loo atme, Im the light o the world!

Do yo thin thats whatJess meant? Lcily, wedont have to discss what wethink He meantHe tells sright there. He didnt say, Letpeople see yor good deeds andpraise yo. He said, Let themsee yor good deeds and praise

yor Father in heaven!Its ind o lie the sn and

the moon. The sn is brningand prodcing hge amontso light and heat, all by itsel.Nobody eeps eling it orrelighting it. God set it p andstarted it brning, and there

it is, brning ever since. God

is lie that light. He prodceslight and love and goodness jst

by being there.Bt the moon is jst a big,

rond roc. It doesnt have anysorce o heat or light itsel. Soit cant shine or warm anybodyp, and i yo cold go p andas it who it is and what good itis, it might get pretty depressed

and say, I dont nowImjst a worthless hn o roc!Even i themoon coldsee and eeland thin, itwold haveno way onowing that

when thesn shineson it, it glowsin or sylie a jewel. On a ll moonnight, there is enogh refectedlight to cast shadows on thegrond. Bac beore there was

articial light, people who hadto travel long distances woldpay attention to the phase o themoon so they wold have lightto travel by.

And wold yo believe thatin the snshine, the moonstemperatre can get p to 123

degrees Celsis or 253 degrees

Fahrenheit? As soon as it rotatesaway rom the sn, on the dar

side, it can drop down to as lowas -233 C or -387 F at the poles,where it gets the least solarheating (wii.answers). Thats abig dierence!

So once we accept that Jessis the Light o the world, severalthings happen. First, we tell

Him, yes, please, we do wantHim to bring His light and lie

and love into or lives. Then wespend time every day basingin His presence throgh Biblestdy and prayer and singing.

Next we practice refecting Hislove and light onto everyonearond s.

We loo to see what Godslight does. It warms people p,it shines, brightens, and cheersall arond. So i we want tonow i were acting lie the

light, we as, do people eel

Wh m I? I n fh g quin f

lif, myb h gquin f ll.

DAy 1


18/96


brightened and cheered whentheyre arond s? We watch

or others that mae s eelwarmed and loved, too, andspend time in their presence,becase one o the ways welearn Gods love is rom how werelate to each other.

We as orselves qestions,as Ellen White sggests:

Do yo realize that yoare the light o the world?Do yo, in yor words anddeportment at home, leavea bright trac heavenward?[We could add, at work, atschool, wherever we are.]What is it to be the light o

the world? It is to haveGod or yor gide, to havethe companionship o holyangels, and to refect toothers the light that shinespon yo rom above; bt i

yo ail to exercise Christiancortesy, orbearance,

and love in yor amilies,God and holy angels aregrieved away, and insteado being the light o theworld, yo are bodies odarness (AustralasianUnion Conerence Record;November 1, 1904 par. 8).

Bodies o darness! Och! Theproblem is, i we read that andtae it seriosly, we might getinto looing at orselves all thetime, worrying abot whetherwere the light o the world,or bodies o darness. Bt it isalso possible to loo too hard at

orselves. I we spend too mchtime examining orselves andor actions, well be lie themoon rotating away rom thesn and looing at orselvesinstead o Jess. Thats a qic

way to get really cold and dar!When we eep or eyes on

Jess, waling beside Him,looing p at His ace, soaingp His love, then that love willrefect on everybody else. Otherswill notice that we are brightand cheerl, and they may eelbetter abot themselves. Maybetheyll as why were so happy,and we can say, Becase Jessloves me so mch and I jst canthelp being happy abot it! AndHe loves yo, too, yo now.

We are not and cold neverbe a sorce o light to the world,any more than the moon coldbe a sorce o light, heat, or

power to earth. Bt i we letJess shine His light and loveinto or lives, we will be lampsto His glory, and when otherssee s, they will learn to praiseGod, too.

discussion Questions1. Who are you? No, who are you really?2. How do you think the woman elt when Jesus orgave her? Why? Have you ever elt that

way?

3. Do you agree that love is the light o the world? Why is that so important? Why do we

lose track o it so easily?

4. Share some ways God has shone light and love into your lie lately.

DAy 1


19/96


Andrea saw the startled loo on Wens ace as she waled toward him to tae his order. She startedtaling beore she even got to his table. I now, I now, I loo lie a domestic abse case!

Everybodys staring. Yo see that swinging door over there? She pointed, and Wens gaze movedto the door to the itchen area and bac to her ace. He grimaced with dawning comprehension andsympathy. Let me give yo a little tip. Those doors are made that way so that yo can see somebodycoming toward yo. They dont wor as well i two people are waling toward them rom opposite sides,both with their arms loaded, and both looing bac over their sholders to say something to someone!

Ow, said Wen, his rond ace comically wrinled.

Andrea tried to grimace bac, then winced. Ow is right. She toched her chee. It loos almost asbad as it eels. Doors are my crse this wee! Yesterday morning my toddler gate broe, and I ond the

dog and Minnie, my 3-year-old, in the itchen easting on dry cereal togetherrom the foor! Wen waslaghing, and Andrea rolled her eyes at him. Its not nny! So, what wold yo lie this morning?

Well, yo now me and the smoothies, said Wen with a grin. Its my personal mission to try themall. So today I want that Banana Crnch Breaast Smoothie. And do yorsel a avor, pleasego throghthe door carelly! Dont worry! said Andrea.

When she got bac with Wens smoothie, he had his laptop open and was bsily typing away. Helooed p and thaned her as she set down the tall glass. And not or jst the smoothie, either, he

added. Yo jst helped me with a paperagain!

Jesus said, I am the Door

the door


Because Jesus is

my Door, I ca n be a

doorkeeper, welcoming

others into Gods amily.


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DAy 2

What, yore writing abotclmsy women?

No, bt Proessor Ellisonis all abot doors this wee.Lie what are they or, do theyeep things in or ot, and whatdoes it mean that Jess is theDoor? He said something Idnever thoght abot beore.In Revelation, where it tals

abot Jess nocing at thedoor, its not in the contextwe always tae it or, the dooro the individal heart, its inthe context o the chrchspecically, to the chrch oLaodicea. What do yo thinthat means?

Andrea thoght abot it, btonly or a second. There wasa large grop coming into theca. Yo mean, Hes nocingat the chrch door and cant getin? Wow, thats something tothin abot. Got t-o go, sorry!

The second I Am statement

o Jess that well examine thiswee is ond in John 10:9:I am the gate; whoever entersthrough me will be saved. Hewill come in and go out, and ndpasture.Some Bibles say door,and some say gate, bt eitherone is ind o strange. For Jess

to say He is the Light o the

world maes sense. We can seethat He brightens and warms

people by His presence. Bt howcan a person be a door or a gate?

Its even stranger when yoloo at the context, that is, thestories and sayings that are rightarond it. The last chapter isa long, detailed story o a manJess healed rom blindness.

Interestingly, He rst repeated,I am the light o the world.Then He healed the man. Thisman had been blind his wholelie, and some o the peoplethoght God made him blinddeliberately, becase either he orhis parents were sinl. Otherswere all pset becase Jesshealed him on the Sabbath. Canyo imagine? Yore blind yorwhole lie, Jess miracloslyheals yo, and instead o joiningin yor incredlos joy, yorpastor and elders are all rowningbecase it happened on theSabbath?!

At the end o chapter 9, Jesstells the Pharisees they have aproblem with spirital blindness.Then His very next words, inJohn 10:1, are abot robbers andthieves climbing into a sheeppen to steal sheep, rather thangoing throgh the door. He says

that the sheep wont listen to

=


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DAy 2

scribe write them on a board atthe ront.] It opens and shts. It

eeps people and animals ot.It eeps people and animalsin. It eeps cold or warm airot or in. It can stand open inwelcome, or it can be locedtight. It even shows yo whereto go. I yo want to go in ahose, yo cant jst walthrogh the wall, yo can only

get there throgh the door.(Yo couldgo in throgh thewindow, bt that sally meanssomething bad.)

Does Jess do all thesethings? Lets tae a loo.

op: What are some thingsJess opens p to? ObvioslyHe opens p to love and lightand trth. He always opens pto anyone who wants to tal toHim or to listen to Him. He waswelcoming to Nicodems, whocame in private at night, and Hewas welcoming to the peoplewho ran all the way arond the

Sea o Galilee to nd Him, andHe was even welcoming to thewoman at the well, who didnteven now what she was looingor. Jess is open to anythinganyone ever wants to tell Him,even i its a negative or hrtlthing that Hes going to as the

person to give p. In the Psalms,

people who are not their ownshepherd, bt that they will

listen to Him. Yo can tell Hesworing p to saying He is theGood Shepherd, and He does(well loo at that another day),bt rst He says Hes the door,or the gate, to the sheep pen.

Its strange. What does Hemean?

Maybe yove heard thatin those days, the sheep oldsometimes didnt have a dooror gate. It jst had an opendoorway, and the shepherd layacross that doorway to sleep,so no predator cold get inand harm his sheep at night. I

anything tried, it wold waehim p, and he wold ghtit o. So i a thie or robberwanted to steal or harm thesheep, he wold have to try tosnea over the wall withotwaing p the shepherd. Aperson cold literally be a door.

What does a door do? Letstal abot that or a second.I Proessor Ellison were yorreligion proessor and yo hadto write this paper, yo coldstart by listing some o thethings a door does. [I possibleand practical, get suggestions

rom the listeners and have a


22/96


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DAy 2

David says some really awlthings to God when hes angry

or pset. God doesnt encorageDavid to thin that way, btHe doesnt sht him away andrese to listen to him, either.Have yo ever heard a boss oremployer or pastor say theyhave an open door policy?That means they are happy total to yo any time, and yo

wont be interrpting. Thatshow Jess is.

s: What does Jessclose the door against? Thewhole Bible teaches that oneo these days, God will shtthe door once and or all on allsin, alsehood, hatred, envy,

idolatry, selshness, and pride.People who are clinging tothose sins will get sht ot, too,and thats jst what God doesntwant to happen, so Hes holdingthe door open as long as Hecan, begging people to comein. It began with God reaching

ot to or rst parents as theyhid rom Him ater their dismalailre, and it will continentil the last day that peoplecan choose to join Gods side.Then the door will sht, and sinwill be destroyed orever.

Its worth noting, too, that

sometimes Jess shts what

we open and opens whatwe sht. Did yo now that

in the very earliest days oAdventism, even beore thechrch was ocially ormed,some believed that the door inthe sht door concept reerredto in Revelation 22:11,12 hadalready been sht, and thatthere was no possibility osalvation or those who did notgo throgh the original GreatDisappointment. Than Godor orebears were still open toGod and were able to recognizepretty qicly that He didntwant them to thin that way.And thats a very importantpointare we open to God and

His ways, even i they arentwhat we thoght, or are weclosed to any ideas we didntalready thin o and pt orname on? Are we willing tochange i it becomes necessary?Are or minds open or sht,and is it possible to be so open-

minded that or brains all ot,or loced so tightly sht Godcant get in?

Keep i i: Sometimesyo want the door shtbecase its winter, and yowant to eep the warm air in.Sometimes yo want it sht

becase its smmer and yo


23/96


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DAy 2

want to eep the cool air in.Sometimes yo sht the sheep

gate becase yo dont want thesheep to wander. Andrea, thewaitress, eeps a gate on theitchen opening, not becaseshe doesnt love her ids andher dog, bt becase she does.At the nrsing home wherethere is a wing or Alzheimeror other dementia patients,

they have to eep the doorloced so that people who cantremember where they are wontget ot and wander away. Theycold get lost, or get hit by acar. Sometimes they are angrybecase they eel loced in,bt the people who love them

want to eep them sae. Doingthis and seeing those yo lovegetting angry when yo aretrying to protect them can be aheart-wrenching experience.

Does Jess sht His lambsin sometimes? Abide with Me,He says. Stay here with Me, let

Me choose the path. Dont rnaway. Sometimes we may eelloced in to some circmstanceor rle, bt in act, i we sticwith Jess, well be amazedhow ar well go. Well havehigher adventres and widerexperience than we ever wold

have expectedcertainly wider

than the ones who jmped overthe wall and got caght in a

bramble hedge! Bt thats oay,becase Jess goes ater them,too, resces them rom thethorns, carries them bac, andgives them another chance.

Keep i : When itcomes to hot or cold air, yocold loo at it either way. In

the winter months, are yoeeping the cold air ot or thewarm air in? And in smmer,are yo eeping the cool air inor the hot air ot? Yesgatesare lie that, too. When thesheep gate is sht and loced,the sheep cant get ot, bt

also, the hyenas and wolves andjacals and montain lions cantget in to eat them! I dont nowabot sheep, bt I now thereare dierent inds o peoplesome whod rather stay in andsae and never go ot at all, andsome who eel rebellios and

angry and dont want to be shtin everwhere are yo on thatcontinm?

In the Bible, Jess tals abotthieves and robbers who climbover the wall. In this world, letsace it: things are not the wayGod meant them to be when He

created it. There is no perect


24/96


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DAy 2

saety anymore. Even with thedoor closed, bad things can

happen. People can brea intohoses and steal things, andthey can brea into hearts andsteal secrity and peace. Thosewhose hoses have been robbedoten say that the worst thingisnt the jewelry or money orTVs they lost. The worst thingis not eeling sae anymore.

Someones been in their room,handling their things. They eelbetrayed and violated. Heartsare lie that, too. Someone yothoght yo cold trst betraysyor riendship and hrts yo,or someone made promises anddidnt eep them.

Jess will never do that. Heisnt jst someone who wontbrea down the doorHe isthe Door. He is the only wayto lie and happiness. He canopen wide and mae yo eelwelcome, and He can closearond yo, snggly, and maeyo eel sae.

We can trst Him.

Sonds simple, doesnt it? Theact is, Jess will never betrayyo, bt sometimes it might eelas thogh He has. Yor prayersmay be answered in ways yodont even recognize, so yo

eel nanswered, sometimes or

a very long time. Can we trstHim even then?

Yes. We can. Really.sw e wa: Jess not

only said He was the door, Hesaid He was the only way tothe Father. Thats in John 14:6,right ater He said He was theWay, the Trth, and the Lie,which well examine on another

day. Some people worry thatthis means all the millions opeople who never heard oJess will atomatically belost, bt the Bible doesnt teachthat. God is the perect and treJdge, and He nows whetherpeople are trying to ollow

the Creator or reject Him interms o the nowledge that isaccessible to them [Write text out- Romans 1:18-20]. These peoplewho will receive eternal lieand live orever with God willdo so throgh Jess lie, death,and resrrection, even i theydont now it and never heardo Him. Thats amazing andreassring, isnt it?

Everybody in Gods ingdomwold have gone throghthat door one way or another,whether they new it or not.Jess says those who knowingly

tried to get in another way,


25/96


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DAy 2

climbing over the wall, Hecalls it, are thieves and robbers,

and nless they change theirmind and go arond to thedoor, they will be cast ot. Thegreatest blessing is being able tosee that Jess is the Door to lie,and enter into Him by choice.

Lie the Light o the world,this door imagery also goes

both ways. Jess is the Door,the gateway to heaven even orthose who dont now Him andmaybe never hear o Him ntilthey get there. Bt not onlydo we enter into Him, He alsoenters into s. We have doors,too. In Revelation 3:20, Jesssays, Here I am! I stand at thedoor and knock. I anyone hearsmy voice and opens the door, Iwill come in and eat with him,and he with me.

Im sre Wens proessorwold agree that the traditionalinterpretation o this text (Jessasing to enter individalhearts) is also tre. Well loo atit his way shortly.

Despite the langage wehave sed or years, Jesswants to live in or hearts,none o s can really describeand explain what that means

or how it wors. Its a divine

mystery. Children as howJess can get tiny enogh to

live inside o them. They refectthe same ind o thiningNicodems disclosed whenJess told him that he hadto be born again; he asedwhether he had to reenter hismothers womb. Seclar people,even when they are honestlyseeing, can nd those concepts

consing. I were honest, wewill all admit we wonder jsthow it really wors. We saythat Jess, throgh the HolySpirit, lives in s, transorms s,eqips s or service, gides s,and helps s mae choices anddo the right things.

Jess never nocs downdoors. He never orces His wayson s. He made or hearts, Hehas called ot to s or entirelives, and He has every rightand plenty o power over s!He cold mae s pppets iHe wanted to, bt Hes spent

thosands o years maing itclear that He has no interest incoercing s into acceptance andobedience. He never orces Hisway in. He stands politely at thedoor and nocs, waiting or sto answer.

What are some o the

ways Jess nocs on or


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DAy 2

hearts? We might thin o orconsciences. We have somemore Christian jargon or that,all abot seared consciencesand so orth. The act is, most othe time we have a pretty goodidea when we are abot to dosomething we sholdnt. Theresthis little ncomortable bumpinside. Thats a noc at thedoor. Do we answer? Or pretend

we didnt notice? Or come pwith all inds o argments andjstications or why its oaythis time?

The pastor preaches asermon that particlarly appealsto s and reminds s o eternityand o the powerl lie with

God we cold have; want tohave; will have . . . one o thesedays . . . Do we call, Jst aminte!?

Even a song, or some lovingthing a riend says or does, canbe a noc. Someone dies, andwe thin abot when well seethem again in the New Earth,and theres another noc.

Sometimes we thin, Oh,man! Jess is at the door! Idbetter clean p beore I let Himin! I woldnt want Him to seewhat its really lie in here!

News fashHe nows what

its lie in there! And Hes

the only one who can cleanit p, anyway. I we try to getsomehow good enogh rst,well never let Him in. Theresonly one job we have to do, andits plenty hard enogh. EllenWhite pts it lie this:

Jesus says, Behold, I standat the door, and knock. Willwe let Him in? He wouldnot have us stand at thistime, amid the perils o thelast days, in our own nitestrength.... It is our privilegeto walk in the sunshine oHis presence, and to weaveinto the characters we areorming the golden threadso cheerulness, gratitude,

orbearance, and love. Wemay thus show the powero divine grace, and refectlight rom Heaven amidall the rets and irritationsthat come to us day by day.. . . Then why do we gostumbling along without

light? . . . Our work is toopen the door o the heartand let Jesus come in. He isknocking or entrance.... Willyou open the door? Jesusis standing at the door oyour heart. Let Him in, theheavenly Guest. (Our High

Calling, p. 352.2, 6)


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DAy 2

Did yo hear that? Orwork. Opening and letting Himin is the easiest thing everyojst say yes. Then yo get pand start doing the same thingsyo ever did, and yo realizeyo orgot and sht Him otthere again. So yo apologizeand open the door again. Thistime it lasts or abot vemintes, and then somebody

annoys yo, and yo yell, andyo realize, oay, Hes in, btIm not letting Him have anysayIm eeping Him standingin the corner, ot o my way.Its wor! It will tae s the resto or lives, bt its so worth it!Pretty soon, we realize werecooperating with Him, and newthings are happening, and itsexciting.

Then there are dierentinds o nocs or dierentpeople. Tae livelihood. Fromchildhood, we start thiningabot what we want to do withor lives. People sed to as,

What do yo want to be whenyo grow p? When it getsreally embarrassing is i, lieWen, yore two or three yearsinto college, and yo still dontnow. Or, lie Andrea, yodidnt go to college at all andare woring at a job where yo

are not nding great lllment.

Jess still has plans or s. Hedoesnt jst noc once andnever pay attention to s again.He has all inds o great ideasor or lives. I we stic withHim, well start to recognizewhen something as simple asan ad on TV or a job that opensp in or neighborhood mightbe a noc rom Him. As wegrow in Him, we will also grow

in nowledge o orselves,especially in the ways that weare individals, and dierentrom each other. Well as whatHe made s to do and listen orthe answers.

The main qestion weredealing with dring this wee oprayer and spirital emphasisis, How did Jess now whoHe was? How did it occr toHim that He was a door or agate? I wonder i one way Jesslearned this abot Himsel isthat He ond Himsel beingprotective. Thats one o themain things doors doprotect

whats on one side rom whatson the other.

In this story in John, Jesshad healed the blind man, andthen the man had actally beeniced ot o the synagogebecase he maintained thatit was Jess who had healed

him! The Pharisees were saying


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DAy 2

Jess coldnt have the powerto heal blindness, and the man

jst responded, Loo, I dontnow anything abot that. AllI now is, I sed to be blindand now I can see! Then hegot impatient and spoe a littletoo directly to the Pharisees,so they inslted him and saidhed been ll o sin rombirth, and threw him ot o the

synagoge.

When Jess heard this, John9:35 says He went and ondthe man. He new that Hisprotectiveness was needed. Theman and his amily mst havebeen very consed. Here theywereon what shold be the

happiest day o their livesahge miracle has been done orthem, and theyre iced ot othe chrch! Lets see what Jesssaid to the man. [Read or havesomeone read vs. 35-38.]

Jess chose to nd this manand reassre him, and throghhim, his parents, also. It was asi He closed the angry chrchleaders ot and closed the manand his amily in where it wassae.

It was right ater this thatHe told the story o the sheep

and the gate, and said He was

the gate and His own sheepnew His voice and wold

ignore everyone else. Its a goodthing, too. What i that manhad given in to the synagogeleaders, hanging his head andagreeing abot how bad hewas? He wold be able to see,bt he wold have lost someo the blessings. Instead, hestood p or Jess and what he

new had been done or him.His aithlness was richlyrewarded as Jess met him oto the synagoge and revealedthat He was indeed the Son oMan. The blind man who coldnow see became one o the ewpeople mentioned in the gospels

who actally worshipped Jessas the Messiah dring His lieon earth.

Jess is the Door. The Gateto saety. Have yo gone in?

He also stands at yor heartsdoor. Have yo let Him in?

Once these two qestionshave been answered, theres athird. Are there ways in whichwe can be doors or gates, orgateeepers, anyway?

There is a very interestingstory abot doors and

dooreepers that yove heard


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DAy 2

a million times, bt probablynever thoght o in this context.Its in almost all the gospels.Lets loo at the one in Matthew19:13, 14. [Read or have someoneread.] What story is this? RightJess blessing the children.Whats that got to do withdooreepers?

Psalm 84 is a really great

psalm. Yo shold read theentire thing when yo get thechance. Bt theres one versein particlar that were goingto loo at. keep yor nger inMatthew 19 and loo at Psalm84:10. [Read or have someoneread.] What do yo thin thismeans?

A dooreeper wold not bea very high or amos person,wold he? He probably wasconsidered a pretty lowlyservant. This is jst someonewho stands there and opensand closes the door all day orthose going in and ot. Thepsalmist says he loves being atGods hose so mch that hedrather be a lowly dooreeperthan live somewhere ancieror wealthiermaybebt withwiced people.

Id lie to be a dooreeper

lie that.

Bt there are some peoplewho tae it pon themselvesnot jst to open and sht thedoor o Gods hose, bt todecide who gets to go in andwho has to stay ot. Lots opeople seem to thin they haveall the answers as to who isgood enogh to come to chrch,or who dresses nicely enogh,or who behaves well enogh or

God to love them.

And that brings s bac toProessor Ellisons commentabot Rev. 3:20 being in thecontext o the Laodiceanchrch. Have we, do we, eversht the Lord o Light ot o orcongregations along with the

least o these?The disciples thoght they

new who shold see Jess,bac in Matthew 19. Jess wastired and bsy, and besides,He was starting to get ind oamos and important. Peoplecame rom all over to listen to

Him. And the more importantHe got, the more importantthe disciples got. Or so theythoght. When some mothersbroght children to be blessed,they tried to rn them o. Getot o here! What maes yothin the Master has time or

yo?


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They were being dooreepersin a negative sense. Theythoght they new who wasimportant enogh or Jess tonotice. I a synagoge rler,or a wealthy person, or even aRoman soldier had come, theywoldnt have sent him away!Bt little ids and women? Thatwas a dierent story!

Have yo nown people liethat?

Well, the disciples had asrprise coming their way.They were not the door. Jesswas the door, and He was abotto remind them o it. Dontyo stop those children? Let

them come! This was Jessbeing the protective door again.The mothers and children hadprobably started bacing sadlyaway, eeling embarrassedand apologetic or botheringthe great Teacher. Bt not orlong. Jess smiled and heldot His arms, and yo now

those children wold have rnto Him. The mothers, too, werereassred and comorted.

Jess had jst said, withotwords, My door is closed topride and a jdgmental spiritand to people who thin theyhave power and athority. Its

wide open to the ones who arehmble and innocent, whodont thin they deserve Me, btwant to be near Me anyway.

And He didnt even stopthere. He went on to say, Theingdom o heaven is madep o people lie these littlechildren! That was a srprise.So these were the VIPs o Jesspside-down ingdom! I thedisciples (then or now) actedas dooreepers, they woldsht ot the right ones and letin the wrong ones. Heaven,then, wold have been jst liethis messed-p earth, and whowants that?!

discussion Questions1. What are some things Jesus has shut out o your lie that

made you eel sae?

2. What are some ways Jesus has opened doors in your lie

and made you eel ree?

3. What is one way Jesus has knocked on your hearts door

this month?

4. Tell about a time when you didnt eel welcome. What

happened? What would you do dierently?

5. In what ways are you an open door? In what ways do

you keep the door closed? How can you know when to

do which?

I Jess is the Door, how canwe be dooreepers? Do we openwide in welcome to all thosewho want to come? Do we thinwe now who God can or cannotlove or accept? Do people eelsae and protected and welcomearond s?

Heres a basic principle toeep in mind: I Jess was openenogh to inclde us, then whoare we to decide somebody elseis not acceptable?

Open yor hearts door.

Go throgh Jess door.

And then live as an open doorto others.

DAy 2


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Imust have been crazy! thoght Andrea. What on earth made me think I would have the time, even without

help rom three little maniacs?

Can I trn it? Please? Adam, her 10-year-old, was practically dancing p and down in hiseagerness.

No, me! wailed Jeannie, the 7-year-old. Yo always get the rst trn!

Even little Minnie, who had no idea what was going on, was yelling, Me, me!

Qiet! yelled Andrea, and miraclosly, they all qit. Minnie, sit here and be sre this pan doesntslide away rom the edge, bt do not touch the stones when they are trning! Yo nderstand? Minnie

nodded eagerly rom her perch on the edge o the conter, bt Andrea said, Adam, yo watch her lie ahaw. Jeannie, yo can have the rst trn. Stand right in ront o it lie this, so yo dont overwor oneside o yorsel.

Maing a ace o extreme concentration, Jeannie began to trn the big cran arond and arond. Thisis hard! she exclaimed.

Yes, it is, Andrea agreed, bt jst imagine how Jess mother had to do it, with two big, fat rocs.Remember the pictre we saw?


Because Jesus is the

Bread o Lie, I can be a

grain o wheat,

giving mysel to eed

others His Word.

the BreAd of LifeJesus said, I am the Bread of Life


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Over-inspired, she waspretty sre, by the organics,vegans, and health devoteesshe met at wor every day,Andrea had jst boght a hand-craned grain mill and a can owheat berries to pt in it. Theitchen grew qiet and thicwith concentration as all, evenMinnie with Andreas handsover hers or a minte, too

trns craning and watchingas ne, light brown forsited ot between the twofat grindstones that the cranrbbed together. It really waslie magic.

When the ids realizedhow diclt the wor was, o

corse, they stopped beggingor trns. Andrea soon gredot an expensive health clbmembership wold not benecessary or her to get acomplete pper-body worot.She even got ot o breath andhad to stop and rest now and

then.Arent yo glad yo dont

have to do it the way they didin Bible times? ased Jeannie.

Who, me? Andrea retorted.As daghter o the hose, yodhave to do it all!

Not me, said Adam smgly.

Id be ot doing man st.

Yeah, lie plowing with a

stic to grow this wheat! saidAndrea with a grin.

It too almost an hor orthem to grind enogh for tomae two loaves o bread. Thenthey added yeast, a little saltand oil, jst a bit o honey, andwarm water. The ids stirred

with a big wooden spoon ntilthe doghy mass was too toghor them. Then Andrea stirredntil it was too togh or her.Then they trned the wholething ot onto the btcherbloc table.

This was the part everybodylied. They divided thedogh into or lmps andeverybody neaded and trnedand ponded and pnched.Sometimes they added a bitmore for i the dogh gotsticy. They did their best toprevent Minnie rom eating toomch o hers.

Eventally they pt theirthree smooth, spongy balls odogh and Minnies small graylmp into separate bowls withnames taped to them, coveredthem, and set them in a warmplace to rise. Srreptitiosly,Andrea sbstitted a new lmpor Minnies.

DAy 3


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Adam swiped a hand acrosshis orehead. Whew! heexclaimed. Im sre glad Imnot a grain o wheat!

Andrea laghed. Yo jststreaed for across yor ace,here. She wiped his ace witha towel and they all went to thesin to try to scrb the dogho their hands and ot romnder their ngernails.

Why are yo glad yoarent a grain o wheat? asedJeannie.

Well, jst thin! First, yoget thrown in the grond andcovered p and rained onand all that. Then yo get all

py and split open, which Ibet wold hrt, i wheat coldeel anything. Then little rootsand leaves come ot and yogrow into a nice, big plant.That parts probably prettynice, swaying in the breeze andsnshine.

unless a grondhog comesalong, Andrea pt in, andAdam made a ace while hissisters laghed.

Then this big machinecomes and chops yo down!he contined. Yo go throghall inds o machinery to getall the wheat ree rom all the

leaves and stthats straw,right?

Right. People se it ormlch, or animal bedding.Things lie that.

Then yo get bagged pand sit on a store shel, andjst abot the time yo thinall the hard part is over, peoplept yo in a mill and grind yo

p and do all the st we didtoday. Then they bae yo in ahot oven!

Then, said Jeannie, rbbingher stomach, they eat yo p!Mmmm!!

I really dont thin Id liebeing a grain o wheat! Andrea

agreed. And Im glad they canteel anything!

So ar in or series, wevetaled abot two I Amstatements Jess made. First,He said He was the Light o theworld, oered to everyone onearth. Then we learned that

Jess said He was the Door,or the gate, and yo coldntget into the ingdom exceptthrogh Him. Its almost as ithe light is lie a street lightshining wherever yo are andshowing the way to the door,and then lie a porch light soyo can see to get to Jess.

=

DAy 3


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DAy 3

Then yo have to mae achoice. Are yo going to enterin throgh the only Tre Door,or are yo going to trn bac, ortry to get in another way?

Once yo choose to enterthe tre door and live yor liewith Jess, which means bothentering His door and openingyor hearts door to Him, thenthere is something that He does

rst o all beore anything else.Lets loo at Revelation 3:20again to nd ot what. [Reador have someone read.] So whatdoes Jess do rst? RightHeeeds s!

Its amazing how easy it isto orget this step. We thin,

Oay! Im a new person inJess, and now Hes going tolead me and Im going to ollow.Now, lets see. What woldJess do rst? I now! Hed gohelp that person! And o wego, while Jess is bac in theitchen calling, Hey, yo orgot

something! Lets eat rst, sowell be strong enogh to wor!

Once pon a time, perhapsit cold have been said thatnobody wold orget sch athing in their physical dailylives, bt these days lie isso rshed that many peopledash o to wor or school or

wherever, withot breaast.Maybe some o s did thattoday. It doesnt wor so well,and it doesnt wor in orspirital lives, either.

[Note to speaker: Spenda little time with your group onthis chapter, going through theollowing paragraphs, but leavingtime or comments and discussioni possible.]

Today were going to stdya really interesting chapter othe Bible. Trn with me to John6. The day beore this, Jessed a mltitde that incldedabot 5,000 men. Now crowdso people are ollowing Himeverywhere, bt not becase

they recognize that Hes theMessiah. The trth is, theyrenot sre whether to believe inHim or not, as we can see inverses 25 and 26. [Read or havesomeone read.] Jess isnt lettingthem get away with anything,is He? Read verse 27. Jess is

trying to change the sbjectrom things o earth to thingso heaven. For abot a minte,He has at least some o them.They say, What mst we doto do the wors God reqires?(Vs. 28). What is Jess answerin verse 29? Thats jst liewhat we heard yesterday in


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"i am" 2011 week of prayer

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