Lesson 5 October 27-November 2
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Acts 1:12-14, Acts 2:5-13, Revelation 14:12, Acts 2:42-47, Acts 4:32-37, Acts 5:1-11, 2 Corinthians 9:8-15.
Memory Text: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42, NKJV).
Church unity is the result of a shared spiritual experience in Jesus, who is the truth. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Solid bonds of fellowship are forged in a common spiritual journey and experience. Early Adventists had such an experience in the Millerite movement. Their common experience in 1844 tied their hearts together as they sought to find an explanation for their disappointment. This experience gave birth to the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the truth about the pre-Advent judgment and all that it entails.
The experience of Jesus’ disciples after His ascension to heaven is a testimony to the power of God’s Word, prayer, and common fellowship in creating unity and harmony among believers of widely different backgrounds. That same experience still is possible today.
“I would insist that fellowship is a particularly important element in corporate worship. … There is no substitute to the Christian for the realization of the spiritual bond which unites him with other believers and with the Lord Jesus Christ. … Jesus Christ first brings a soul to Himself, but then He always unites that soul to other believers in His body, the church.” - Robert G. Rayburn, O Come, Let Us Worship (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980), p. 91.
