BIBLICAL VIRTUE GROUP

Because I value God's teaching in the Bible, I choose to believe and follow its teachings.

What To Believe

The Gift of Prophecy

The Bible teaches that the gift of prophecy of receiving special messages from God will be present in His "remnant church." This gift was seen in the ministry and writings of Ellen G. White. Therefore, I will eagerly read what God is saying to me and to His church.

Definition

The gift of receiving special messages from God is an identifying mark of the "remnant church" and was shown by the ministry of Ellen G. White in her actions and her writings.

See flipchart

God has Spoken by His Prophets, SDAH 413
O Shepherd Divine, SDAH 192
Lord, Who Dost Give to Thy Church, SDAH 346

Student Life Applications

Realize that God chose to speak to me through His special messenger and how important that is to me;
Read Ellen G. White's books such as Steps to Christ, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings and Desire of Ages;
Learn about the life of Ellen White and how God used her to help establish the Adventist Church;
Relaize that Ellen White's messages support the Bible as the most important and encourages us to study the Bible more;
Know that Mrs. White was just a girl when God called her and think what can I do for God while I am young;
Learn how to tell from the Bible when a person who says they have a messege from God is true or not;
Learn how God used Ellen White to teach us about different subjects such as health, education, publishing, church organization and the great story of the Conflict of the Ages between Christ and Satan;

Bible, E.G. White

The Prophetic Gift in Bible Times -- 2 Peter 1:21 -- "for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit"
Post-Biblical Prophets and the Bible -- Isaiah 8:20 -- "To the law and to the testimony. If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them"
The Spirit of Prophecy in the Seventh-day Adventist Church -- 2 Chronicles 20:20 -- "believe His prophets, and you shall prosper"

GW 308; 4T 13

Reinforcing Stories

Stepping Stones by Dorothy Eaton Watts, June 15

Student Activities

Links to the Curriculum

Resources

Stepping Stones by Dorothy Eaton Watts, June 15

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested.
---Fundamental Beliefs, 17

A Statement of Confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy
We, the delegates assembled in Utrecht for the fifty-sixth session of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, express praise and thanksgiving to God for His gracious gift of the Spirit of Prophecy.
In Revelation 12, John the Revelator identifies the church in the last days as the "remnant . . . which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (verse 17). We believe that in this brief prophetic picture the Revelator is describing the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which not only keeps "the commandments of God" but has "the testimony of Jesus Christ," which is "the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10).
In the life and ministry of Ellen G White (1827-1915), we see God's promise fulfilled to provide the remnant church with the "spirit of prophecy." Although Ellen G White did not claim the title "prophet," we believe she did the work of a prophet, and more. She said: "My commission embraces the work of a prophet, but it does not end there" (Selected Messages, Book One, p 36); "If others call me by that name [prophetess], I have no controversy with them" (ibid., p 34); "My work includes much more than this name signifies. I regard myself as a messenger, entrusted by the Lord with messages for His people" (ibid., p 36).
Ellen G White's chief burden was to direct attention to the Holy Scriptures. She wrote: "Little heed is given to the Bible, and the Lord has given a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light" (Review and Herald, January 20, 1903). She believed that although her writings are a "lesser light," they are light, and that the source of this light is God.
As Seventh-day Adventists, we believe that "in His Word God has committed to men the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience" (The Great Controversy, p 7). We consider the biblical canon closed. However, we also believe, as did Ellen G White's contemporaries, that her writings carry divine authority, both for godly living and for doctrine. Therefore, we recommend:
1) That as a church we seek the power of the Holy Spirit to apply to our lives more fully the inspired counsel contained in the writings of Ellen G. White, and
2) That we make increased efforts to publish and circulate these writings throughout the world.

This statement was approved and voted by the General Conference
session in Utrecht, the Netherlands, June 30, 1995.

Primary:
Tell or write two ways that show what it means to believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy.
Tell or write about a time when you saw someone show they believed and followed Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy.
Tell or write about when you showed that you believed and followed the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy.
Tell or write about when you saw the hurt and unhappiness when someone didn’t believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy.
How do you think God feels when He sees people who believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy?
How do you feel or act when you follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy?
Tell two ways that you can show you believe the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy.
What makes you want to follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy?
What is the opposite of believing and following the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy? Who makes us act or believe that way?
Finish the sentence: We can show we believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy when we..........

Middle:
Why does God care if I believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy?
What difference does it make whether I believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy or not?
What effect would it have on my future if I did not believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy?
How would people treat me differently if I did or didn’t believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy?
How would I feel about myself if I did or did not believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy?
Give some reasons why you think it is best to believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy.
Why would someone do differently?
What makes choosing to believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy better than the opposite?
List some ways that a person might believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy without anyone noticing?
List 3 situations where a person could believe the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy and show it in his work, home, or at the shopping mall.
Is it possible for a person to get better at believing and following the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy? Explain.
Can you think of someone who seems good at believing and following the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy? What makes them better at it?
How could you learn to be better at believing and following the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy?
How often do you show that you believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy? Think of the last three times and tell me.
Do you like to join in when people believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy? How have you joined in?

High school:
Would you practice believing and following the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy if no one were checking on you? Your parents, school, or the law?
What is the alternative to believing and following the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy and what do you see as the results of that choice?
Would you recognize it if someone were not fully believing and following the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy? How?
Would you keep quiet if someone paid you a lot of money not to believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy?
Are you proud to believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy and willing to tell others how you feel?
If someone in a group spoke out against believing and following the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy would you speak up to give the other side?
Are you willing to put some of your money toward helping people believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy, in your city, class, work?
Can you say that believing and following the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy has become a habit? How often do you show your belief?
What effect do you think believing and following the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy will have on your future life?
Do you see your family believing and following the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy? How about your church, city, or nation?
What do you think should be done to promote believing and following the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy in your family, friends, church, city, nation?
Does it make much difference if they believe and follow the Bible teaching of the Gift of Prophecy or not?