Asombroso.  El agitador argumenta a favor de la paz.  Eso es lo que Pablo hace en su primera carta a los creyentes de Tesalónica (1 Tes. 4:10-12).

Astonishing. The rabble-rouser argues for peace. That’s what Paul does in his first letter to the believers at Thessalonica (1 Thess. 4:10-12).

Al comienzo de este trimestre, hice una rápida encuesta en mi clase de Escuela Sabática sobre el tema de las lecciones de este trimestre, "Evangelización y testimonio."  No sólo tengo una fuerte preferencia por las lecciones arraigadas en el texto de la Escritura en lugar de las  basadas en un tema, sino que también sé que el tema "La evangelización y el testimonio" realmente excita a algunas personas, pero aterroriza a las demás.  Les dije que yo no estaba entusiasmado con el plan para este trimestre, pero quería sondear su opinión sobre el tema como base para la discusión d

At the beginning of this quarter, I did a quick survey in my Sabbath School class on the topic of this quarter’s lessons, “Evangelism and Witnessing.” Not only do I have a strong preference for lessons rooted in the text of Scripture rather than those based on a theme, but I also know that the theme “Evangelism and Witnessing” really excites some people, but terrorizes others. I told the class that I wasn’t enthusiastic about the plan for this quarter, but wanted to check their pulse on the topic as the basis for class discussion.

One of the best editors I ever wrote for frequently reminded me that I had a tendency – unfortunate from his perspective – to try to cover too many topics in one column.  “Keep it simple, Thompson,” he would plead. “Focus on one point.”

Usually he was right. But sometimes I was rebellious and deliberately slipped into sin.  This piece is another example of that since because I am so eager to see the grace/judgment theme become fertile soil for enriching Adventist dialogue, rather than being just a trigger for destructive argument.

This commentary is wrapped in autobiography and sins against the quarterly by snitching verses 13-15 from last week’s lesson to add to our passage for this week. So we’ll be working on Galatians 5:13-25. 

(Traducido por Carlos Enrique Espinosa)

If we want to learn about worship from Israel’s experience in Exile and Restoration, tidy one-to-one parallels between their day and ours are in short supply, especially if we want slippery-slope compromises leading to Laodicean lukewarmness. What we do find are multiple examples of spectacular collapses mixed with God’s daring efforts to adapt to the needs of his fallen people. What happened during Exile and Restoration is a kind of capstone to both processes. But first a quick survey of the history that points the way.

(Traducido por Carlos Enrique Espinosa)

Para aquellos atraídos por la figura amable de Jesús, el violento Elías es un contraste chocante.  A pesar de que contó con ayuda al prender a los 450 profetas de Baal (1 Rey. 18:40), después de la victoria de Yahvé en el monte Carmelo la Escritura le da el crédito a Elías por la masacre.