The morning Manna will be provided at 6am. Thanks.

Studying Ephesians in the SSnet.org series Lesson 13, may the Holy Spirit be the speaker to your heart.

The Topic today is: “Ephesians 6 and Onward Christian Soldiers, the song for Morning Manna of the Sabbath School Lesson Ephesians”.

The Opening Hymn will be 229 "Spirit of the Living God."

The Sabbath School Quarterly, downloadable from SSnet.org in the Teacher's Edition is on page 166 and 171-174 in the Teacher’s edition (alternative one below).

The SSnet.org site allows anyone, anywhere to read the lesson in their own language. Choose your own language to see God speaking also to your heart.

Why do you not click on this now?

 https://www.adultbiblestudyguide.org/pdf.php?file=2023:3Q:SE:PDFs:EAQ323_13.pdf

---Or try in alternative this one:  https://ssnet.org/lessons/23c/less13.html

---Have you ever heard someone saying that Onward Christian Soldiers is a bad song since it is very militaristic? An Adventist told me this in 1993.  

---Sabine Baring Gould became an Anglican Priest at 30. After marriage at 38 years old, he had 15 children.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabine_Baring-Gould

---He wrote Onward Christian Soldiers in 1865 for children to march from a bridge to St. Peters. When his father died he inherited 1200 ha of land.

---His song was chosen by Winston Churchill on a ship in 1941 when Churchill met Franklin Roosevelt. Also the song was sung at the funeral of President Eisenhower.

---Some pointed out that he had a distant uncle during the crusades John Gold. But this could not be a motif for the song.

---2 Timothy 3:2 talked about the soldier of Jesus. This is seen as the background of the song.

---Some of the words of the hymn was changed by certain church groups “one in doctrine” to “one in purpose”.

---Sullivan’s melody was attached to the song although originally the melody is from Joseph Hayden Symphony D number 15.

---So did modern militarists misuse this song for battle cries against physical enemies in time of war? Yes. Is that what Paul wants? No.

---To be a soldier for Jesus as Paul is saying in Timothy has nothing to do with any army on earth. Sorry.

---But our chaplain said we can use it that way. And he is a Seventh-day Adventist chaplain. Sorry. Cannot.

---Paul defines his enemy very clearly and the whole Bible defines him as well.

---Why do people then apply the biblical text to their physical army fighting injustice, war, and the more?

---Because they think that heaven will be on earth and they have to help creating it.

---The model for this thinking is called futurism but not historicism.

---Adventists do not operate on this scheme of events.

---Civil Right Activists used this song. Wrong. Cannot.

---You cannot design your own concept of “right” and then want the whole world to follow that in fact, force them to follow that by attacking those who do not. And then use this song to ease your tension filled mind to calm down while you are on your way to burn buildings of your self-allocated “enemies”. Correct?

---In Paul, Jesus, Peter, Luke, John, Jude’s context, there is no room for any civil right activism. Zero.

---The Bible is not a Civil Right Activism Manifesto. It never was and never will be.

---It is a misuse of the Bible if you apply what is supposed to be spiritual as your own complaining group in society.

---Is there in your community or your church people that wants to support Civil Right Activism? Leave. When? Immediately. Do not have to do with it at all. It is unbiblical.