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.