Share New Life

Well, last Sunday my class responded exceptionally well to the lesson, “Exercise Submission’s Power”. Also, there were 65 downloads of the PPT slides posted on this site, which I hope you found useful.

This coming Sunday we will not have Bible Study given the size of our congregation. With only two Easter services on Sunday morning, the parking lot can’t hold all the cars that would be needed if people attended one worship service then stayed for Bible Study while another group attended the other worship service.

Given that I won’t blog about the lesson, “Share New Life” except to note various helps posted on the web, such as the study questions posted by Cornerstone Baptist in Arlington. Manchester Baptist Church, Manchester, MO., posted more study questions.

Here are some notes on the lesson posted by the pastor of Pickles Gap Church of Conway, AR.

I’ll keep looking!

Happy Easter!

PPT Slides for Exercise Submission's Power

Around 50 to 75 of you regularly download PPT lesson slides when I post them. I hope they are useful to you. If you have suggestions for how I can improve future slides, please let me know.

Here is a link to this week's lesson: Exercise Submission's Power. I put notes on most of the slides as a help :-).

May God bless you as you prepare!

Tall order

Based on 1 Peter 3:7, Step 3 of “Exercise Submissions Power” shifts to consider the husband’s responsibility. He should submit “in the same way” as demonstrated by Christ’s example (Mark 14:36, 1 Peter 2:21). Moreover, a husband should live understandingly with his wife, admiring and respecting her. That’s a tall order!

Is there a universal symbol for submission? Umbrella? A white flag? Throw in the towel?

Power to Convince

Are you going to include a discussion of Ephesians 5:22 when you cover Step 2 of this week’s lesson, “Exercise Submission's Power”? In 1 Peter 3:1-6, Peter suggests that submission may lead to the conversion of a non-believing husband. On the other hand, Paul is more theological and cites God’s plan—Christ is head of the church and the wife submits to the husband as the church submits to Christ. He goes into more detail in 1 Corinthians 11:2-15.

If you stick close to Peter, then the idea of a wife beautifying herself with a “Hidden Heart” beauty product is a possible illustration. It’s the brand and the jar it comes in is called Submission. My homemade picture may help clarify the idea.


Lastly, I want to call your attention to 1 Peter 3:6 where it says, “do not give way to fear.” The LifeWay Leader Guide (p. 57) gives one explanation for what Peter meant. Another possible explanation, which I’ve heard, relates to the idea of a wife’s actions motivated by fear of not being in control of her husband. That is, naturally her tendency is to control, or dominate her husband, and submission means forfeiting that control, which causes fear. Peter commands wives not to give in to that fear.

Exercise Submission's Power

This week we are studying 1 Peter 3:1-12 in a lesson titled “Exercise Submission’s Power”. The title implies that there is power in submission. The question is: Can the practice of submission further God’s kingdom?

Here is an interesting script presenting accusations made against early Christians, the type of which might have prompted Peter’s letter. It paints a picture that indicates Christians were misunderstood.

Tim King gives his opinion as to why the world hates Christians today (as he endeavors to clarify Jesus’s teaching in John 15—“the world will hate you”). Read the text or watch the video, but be warned, his assertions are terse. Also, without any rebuttal, he leaves you with the impression that hatred of Christians today is justified.

In this lesson, I don’t want to stray too far from Peter’s context of persecution and suffering. To grab member’s attention at the start, I’m thinking of beginning the lesson by reading 1 Peter 2:12 and 1 Peter 4:4, highlighting “accuse you” and “heap abuse on you.”

Next, I’d present what the world said about Christians in the past followed by what the world hates about Christians today (the two links above offer some help to support this).

With this opening plan, I can easily fold in a summary of last week’s lesson regarding submission to government authority and employers after the opening.

Some ideas

For passages like this week’s 1 Peter 2:13-25, it might be best to let the Word speak for itself. For example, work with members to do a word study on “submit” and its various forms of usage in the New Testament. Other words to focus on include the following:

Vs 13: “every authority”—Am I selective about which authority I demonstrate submission? Name the easy ones. Name the hard ones. What makes the hard ones, hard?

Vs 15: “ignorant talk”—possibly a reference back to “accuse you” in verse 12, or maybe it looks forward in 4:4b, which says “heap abuse on you”?

Vs 16: “free men”—We emphasize individual liberty in the USA. How does our focus on freedom conflict with God’s desire for us take part in a Christian fellowship? Technology advances allow us a strong measure of independence (little requirement to participate in fellowship), but is that in keeping with God’s will for us? How does our drive to be financially independent, healthy, comfortable, and entertained interfere with God’s desire to growth us up in spiritual maturity to become like Christ?

Vs 17: “fear God”—You could spend the whole lesson time investigating reverencing God. We are free from a civil perspective, but spiritually we are either slaves to God, or slaves to sin. Which is it in your case?

Vs 18-23: “suffer”—count the number of times the word or one of its forms is used. Dwell on its meaning and relate it to modern life in the USA.

Vs 24: The key verse possibly? There are wrong applications of “by his wounds you have been healed”. Case out the alternatives for members, and help them understand what Peter actually says in the original context.

Vs 25: “but now”—Choose to live by faith, not fear. Believe God’s promise and place your trust in God to do what he says he will do.

Christian Submission--God's Plan

I’ve been very busy this week and haven’t had much time for posting. The lesson is “Practice Christian Submission” from 1 Peter 2:13-25. How can we convey the idea of Christian submission and the struggle that it usually entails? One idea is to mention Submission Wrestling, and show this short clip of a submission-wrestling match. We struggle to avoid submitting to God-ordained authority just like the two wrestlers struggle to not submit to one another. In what ways do you struggle against authority--in church, at work, in your home, or with government officials? In what ways is your experience like that of a submission wrestler?

PPT Slides for Display a New Identity

I posted my PPT slides for tomorrows lesson: "Display a New Identity". Hopefully, they will be of help to someone. I also added slide notes to each slide as a help.

People are drawn to…

1 Peter 2:1-12 contains a number of analogies including getting rid of old clothing (vs 1), for example, the hunger of “newborn infants” (vs 2), and “living stones” (vs 4). Verse 12 made me think yet another idea. People are drawn to a beautiful mountain and they praise God when they see it. Likewise, the good works of Christians draw others and they glorify God as a result.

Like a magnet draws iron filings, a bug zapper draws insects, and a honey pot draws bees, people are drawn to God. A waterfall, a funny picture, the ocean, and the unexpected are a few examples of other things that draw people. You might ask members to say what draws them?

Unfiltered ideas for illustrations

Reading 1 Peter 2:4-10 set me to thinking about a number of ideas for illustrations. For example, a person who is a clown is an ordinary individual until he/she puts on a clown’s clothing and paints on a clown’s face. At that point they display the identity of a clown by behaving as a clown.

The same goes for someone wearing a Santa Claus suit. You can probably think of many other examples, but the idea is simple. The question is this, however, what’s the difference in change of identity between an individual that becomes a clown and an individual that becomes a Christian?

There was a news article this week detailing why we do not make cheese from pig milk. Supposedly, cheese made from pig milk would have poor taste since it contains long-chain fatty acids, unlike cheese made from cow’s milk, which contains short-chain fatty acids. Taste matters obviously, and once a Christian has tasted pure spiritual milk, he has a desire for it—not some substitute!

I read about cornerstones, and it can be thought of as a stone that joins two walls together. A simple join doesn't sound too profound, but it suggests an interesting analogy. As The cornerstone, Jesus joins God with man. His Spirit makes believers alive unto God enabling Christians to grow in spiritual maturity. Any man (wall) that rejects Jesus, stumbles over Him and falls.

Purity Matters

To make the point that to grow spiritually Christians must desire to listen to sound preaching, watch the short video “Purity Matters”. The “unadulterated spirit milk” Peter spoke of in 1 Peter 2:1-3 is a reference to the quality or “purity” of the “spiritual milk” or Word Christians consume (from personal Bible study, teaching and preaching).

To grow, a Christian must have a strong desire to hear preaching, for example, that rightly divides the Word of truth. Preaching that only coddles what one wants to hear will not challenge the heart and mind to grow.

Take a couple of bottled waters to class and call a member to the front of the room. Make the offer for the member to choose a bottle to drink from, and then before the person responds open one of the bottles and drink from it. Then see which one the person chooses. Make the point that purity matters in what we listen to as Christians. Ask members if they likewise desire to listen to pure (quality) teaching/preaching of God’s Word.

Do you have other ideas for how to illustrate the importance of the concept of "purity" that's needed in order to grow spiritually?

Display a New Identify

This week’s lesson “Display a New Identity,” from 1 Peter 2:1-12, challenges Christians to develop and demonstrate their identity as Christian so that unbelievers will praise and glorify God.

For some reason the Beverly Hillbillies came to mind as I read the lesson today. The TV show was immensely popular. It features an extremely poor family, the Clampett’s who “barely kept the family fed”. They find extreme wealth (“up thru the ground came a bubbling crude”) and as very wealthy people, they move to Beverly Hills, California.

The show derived its humor from the fact that the Clampetts didn’t change their identity once they became wealthy. Many Christians are like this. They believe that Jesus is the Christ (become wealthy), but never accept responsibility for their new identity.

A real life example of achieving extreme wealth is the Sam Walton family, but I don’t know if the family altered their lifestyle in accordance with their identity as extremely wealthy people (5 of the top 10 wealthiest people in the world).

Perhaps you can think of other examples, but I was thinking of starting the lesson by showing a video clip of the Hillibillies (that would have everyone laughing). Then we could dive into the challenge of the lesson.

Last minute help

Last evening at dinner an idea occurred to me for illustrating how we should be holy like our Father in heaven. Hold up a picture of a man and his son, or show a picture of a man along with a younger man. Ask members if the younger man is the son of the older man. Why? We know he a son because the younger man looks like his father. The same is true for a Christian made in the image of God being conformed to the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ.

Wilting Flower

1 Peter 1:22-25 illustrates the old life in the flesh with a wilting, dying flower. A life lived in the flesh is that short.

Bob

I’ve been searching for a replacement commentary or lesson plan for the material previously generated by Hampton Road Baptist Church (see links on the right side of this page). Brother Bob’s plans were usually very good, but he has not posted in a number of months. If anyone knows why Bob ceased posting his lesson plan, please let us know.

Do you have any comments about Quarterly lesson ideas from Deacon Bob? I have yet to find an affiliation for this Bob.

Don't quit

Based on 1 Peter 1:13-25, this week’s lesson “Accept a Challenging Standard”, reminded me of the adage, “You get what you paid for.” Discuss with members if that statement is true or not these days. Christ paid with his life to redeem us. If the adage is true, how valuable does that make you? How well we measure up, that is the salvation of our souls, will be clear by the inheritance we receive. While it is challenging, don’t give up! “I quit” is just as bad as “I won’t” when it comes to living in agreement with God’s Word.

Stranger illustration

This is a last minute post, but I thought I'd tell you that I plan to illustrate the idea of "strangers" mentioned in 1 Peter 1:1 using a man in a shopping mall with his arms folded (or you could show a woman at some sporting event with a non-participating attitude). Lot's of men don't like to shop, so the illustration underscores how Christians should not love the world since our real home is in heaven.

Thematic illustration?

A Biblical story of stolen identity is that of Jacob assuming the identity of his brother Esau in order to steal his birthright.

It seems this week as though I’ve been stuck on the issue of “identity”. Peter’s readers were persecuted because of their identity as Christians; they suffered as a result of their belief in Jesus Christ. When undergoing such suffering, assurance becomes paramount, which Peter emphasized. Furthermore, he reminded his readers of their coming reward, but emphasized their need to live holy lives.

So there is much more to the lesson, and frankly I’ve simply been trying to get my arms around the letter. Since our identity in Christ is backed by genuine faith, perhaps a thematic illustration emphasizing transformation is that of a true diamond versus synthetic cubic zirconia. Despite their similarities, one is a genuine diamond, and the other is not. It seems I’m back to that identity issue again. Oh, well.

How many of me are there?

An interesting approach is to lookup your name using the site: http://www.howmanyofme.com/ as well as some of your class member’s names. Use the counts to underscore how insignificant we might be in this world, but remind members that the Lord will give each one of us a unique name in heaven. For example, there are 190 people in the U.S. that have my name—not very unique compared to my identity in heaven (Rev 2:17b)! You can tie this into the new birth Peter highlights in 1 Peter 1:3.

Confidence from a known identity

“Who am I?” is a fundamental question. Each of us has a need for identity. Peter speaks to this need right away to the letter’s recipients in 1 Peter 1:1-2. He identifies them as strangers in the world (citizens of heaven living on earth—Phil 3:20), chosen as God’s elect to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and believe in him.

How does knowing one’s identity build confidence? Identity is valuable. Underscore this by presenting information about identity theft.

Acknowledge a secure salvation

"Acknowledge a secure salvation," 1 Peter 1:1-12.

What makes you confident? Where does it come from? What’s it based on? What is a common characteristic in the answers to the following questions? This should help members get ready to answer the question "What makes you confident that you are a Christian?"

What makes you confident that you’ll succeed?

What makes you confident that you can afford such-n-such?

What makes you confident about the future?

What makes you confident about a certain medical procedure?

What makes you confident in so-n-so?

What makes you confident that you can meet that schedule?

What makes you confident in that theorem?

What makes you confident that will happen?

Deliverance celebrated

For Step 4 of “What’s Worth Celebrating," the lesson plan offered by Jeff Meyer, from Bayleaf Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC, may help?

What occasions do you celebrate? I’m thinking of Anniversaries, Births, Birthdays, Engagements, Coming Home, Graduations, Holidays, Promotions, Weddings and other Special Occasions. Have you ever planned and implemented a celebration focused on God’s deliverance?

Quick victory

For Step 3 of this week's lesson "What's Worth Celebrating", I like the suggestion found in LifeWay Extra, written by Becky Imhauser.

Finding the one person who can help

Esther courageously advocated a legal means to spare her people in Esther 8:3, 6-8, 11, which is the point of Step 2 in “What is Worth Celebrating”. The resulting decree provided a way for the Jewish people to be spared.

We are a “nation of laws.” Explore what that means with members. Xerxes was a king, who ruled by fiat. Esther interceded with the one person that could actually help her. In our society, is it possible to find just one person that can help? Take an example issue and brainstorm with members how they might identify the right person to contact for help.

What is Worth Celebrating

My template for preparing the lesson each week? Ha! It may be good, or it may be bad based on how you use it, but I thought it worthwhile to share it with you. Do you have such a system to help you prepare each week?

1. Concept slide—a picture or graphic projected while the class gathers and is meant to establish a key idea related to the lesson in the minds of class members. For example, last week I used a slide full of excuses typically used by people to avoid getting involved in a difficult or risky task.

2. Title Slide—for example, this week it’s What’s Worth Celebrating, Esther 8:1-10:3

3. Impact slide—a story, a video, or whatever that’s used to grab people’s interest
(optionally I follow this with a slide that makes the impact personal to members).

4. Key Bible Truths to be covered in the lesson—if a I have a picture on a slide, I like for it to tie to the concept slide (#1) in some way so that the opening idea is not lost. (Optionally, I follow this slide with a “pop quiz” relating specifically to the verses we cover.)

5. Who is the lesson for—usually I rephrase the material provided in the LifeWay Leader Guide, and add my own listener identities

6. An overview slide—if it’s the first lesson of a book, then this slide is an overview of the book. Otherwise, it’s a brief summary of what’s been covered up to this point.

7. Title from step 1, and verses—perhaps include a picture relating to the concept established in #1. I read the verses, then step thru key points, observations, and bible insight.

8. Application from step 1.

9. Repeat #7 and #8 for each step in the lesson.

10. Identify a key verse and put it on a slide. Say why it is key as it pertains to the lesson title. For example, last week I used Esther 4:16c as the key verse because in it Esther said, “I will go”, which I thought exemplified the triumph of her courage.

11. Apply bible truth—I rewrite the biblical truths for spiritual transformation provided in the LifeWay Adult Leader guide.

12. Closing slide—usually a call to action.

Fasting

Concluding “How Courage Triumphs”, the verse exemplifying courage seems to be Esther 4:16b, “I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” Esther said, “I will go”, and she did.

But the verse raises the issue of fasting. Prayer is not mentioned in the book of Esther, but fasting is. What is the New Testament teaching on fasting? Are you prepared to discuss it if it's raised as a question in your class?

For those wanting a more complete lesson plan, try what's provided by Jeff Meyer from Bayleaf Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC.

Seeing justice done

Step 4 of “How Courage Triumphs” picks up with Esther 7:9-10, which records the king’s judgment on Haman. There are truly evil people in the world and one day they will be judged by a righteous King. Justice was recently served in the case of Saddam Hussein. Here are some other examples of seeing justice done in the UK. You got any better ideas?

Exaggeration

Step 3 of “How Courage Triumphs” is based on Esther 7:1-6, and is titled by the LifeWay materials as State the Facts. Sgt Joe Friday on the popular Dragnet series frequently intoned, “All we want are the facts, Ma’am.” Refreshingly, that’s all Esther communicated to the king.

Thurman Seber makes the point that we should not “embellish our testimony”. Exaggeration is a first cousin to lying. Stick with the truth! Here is a story that cleverly comes to the defense of bats, which we are inclined to detest. I point it out only because it illustrates how exaggeration can lead to wrong conclusions. What are some example exaggerations you see in the headlines this week?

Stand out, Stand firm, Stand together, Stand against, Stand up

Step 2 of “How Courage Triumphs” is focused on Esther 5:1-3, which the LifeWay material titles, Step Out on Faith. These verses detail the action that followed Esther’s plan stated in 4:16. She acted in faith leaving the results to God.

Tonight at church, we prayed for a young man leaving shortly to serve in Iraq. His service in the United States Air Force illustrates to me similar courage and fortitude to that displayed by Esther. He trusts God whatever the outcome. As Paul described in Phil 1:27-30, this airman is standing courageously for Christ as he risks everything to serve his country in a foreign land.

Social loafing

Reading about courage, I came across the story of Kitty Genovese, who was murdered and not one of 38 witnesses came to her aid. Would you have helped Kitty?

Below I posted pictures of the first few PPT slides I’ll use in my lesson on “How Courage Triumphs”. Do you know any social loafers? , For example, it is easy to coast in a community where there is no responsibility.

To motivate a solution requires that people first get to know one another. With the community using this site in mind, one solution alternative is to link to your personal websites off this site. If you post your personal website in a comment, I'll add it to such a list. I’d pray that the Lord makes it a long one!

How Courage Triumphs

When I first read the LifeWay material for the lesson “How Courage Triumphs,” it reminded me of Proverbs 26:27: “If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.” Ironically, what Haman planned for Mordecai, happened to him. Politics aside we’ve recently witnessed the tables turned on press people as they are called as witnesses in a legal case.

Shortcuts

Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville, GA and First United Methodist Church in Newnan had at least three missionaries killed in a truck accident in Honduras this week.

These short-term missionaries were volunteers, Christians that risk a week or two away from home to make a difference for Christ in a foreign land.

Our pastor reminded us last night that there is no shortcut to the risk we take in living for Christ. The alternative is cowardice—a refusal to “chase after Jesus” in the race we run.

Here is a shortcut illustration. This post will cut short my blog this week due to unexpected travel and lack of Internet access. May God bless you as you prepare!

Working together?

Picking up on my post yesterday, to complete slide 4, the attention-grabbing opening, you could use the LifeWay Extra suggestion to select and present prayer requests of missionaries to illustrate how service is sometimes risky. If you did this, what would do to complete slide 5 on making it personal for members? Anyone want to take a stab at that? We could get sort of a group effort going here!

Fill in the blanks

To help this week, I thought I’d be risky and post PowerPoint “starter slides” for the lesson, “When Service is Risky”. You can download the slides and look thru them to see my initial suggestions for structuring the lesson based on the LifeWay material.

I left blanks on the slides where you can make specific entries as you prepare this week. If you want to post your suggestions here so that others can see your ideas for completing the slides, please do!

When Service is Risky

I regularly give an update on traffic to this site to demonstrate that many of you Explore the Bible teachers have a need for teaching ideas beyond what’s found in the good materials available from LifeWay. According to the chart, January ended with an upward trend in number of page loads (3,420), number of unique visitors (1,345) and number of returning visitors (592).

The last statistic is the one that encourages me most since an increase in returning visitors indicates greater numbers of visitors are finding the site helpful (else why come back?). However, the goal of this site, which has not been achieved (IMHO), is for teachers to inspire each other by sharing their illustrations, object lessons, or other teaching ideas in a positive way—sort of a virtual teachers meeting.

I’m not particularly interested in finding more Bible ‘commentary’ since I assume the LifeWay materials meet that need, or any number of other good sources. But if you have an idea of how to present your lesson that you’d like to share with lots of other teachers, please post it as a comment (or anywhere else on the web and then post a link to it here). Some of you have told me that posting is "risky service", but hey, it can't hurt, and it might help! Thanks!

This week we study “When Service is Risky”, based on Esther 3:1-4:17.

This just in

A series of drawings that tell the story of Esther might interest you, or the movie Esther. I also uploaded my PPT slides for “When Life Turns Upside Down”. Hope these help someone!

Illustrating obedience

I don’t know what your thoughts are, but the key verse of the lesson “When Life Turns Upside Down” might be Esther 2:10. If Esther was anything, she was obedient. Why? She trusted Mordecai, so she did what he said.

I am thinking about illustrating obedience and the good that comes from it using an example of harnessing water power. Moving water (our will) flows along a channel (our listening/conforming to God’s commands) to operate (our taking action) a water wheel, for example. Following that, many good things happen. However, when water is out of it’s channel (our disobedient nature), destruction follows. What do you think?

Here we go rafting again

Step 5 of When Life Turns Upside Down focuses on Esther 2:16-17,21-23, or making the most of an unexpected opportunity. Esther became a queen. Her uncle Mordecai becomes a hero when he uncovers a plot to assassinate king Xerxes. The Bible says the king “loved” Esther. So he made the most of an opportunity—to actually love the beautiful Esther and not simply possess her as a “trophy.”

Be Ready When Opportunity Knocks makes some excellent points on times when “opportunity comes knocking”. For example, do you routinely let others know of your willingness to help them?

We posted last December about responding, “when opportunity comes knocking.” I still like some of the ideas for response to opportunities in the white-water rafting article.

To what end?

The Explore the Bible Adult Leader Guide, p 107 suggests reading an article about King Xerxes from the Biblical Illustrator Winter 2006-07 issue as background for teaching Step 3 (Esther 2:8-10) of this week’s lesson “When Life Turns Upside Down”. He was rich and powerful but failed in his attempt to concur the Greeks in revenge for their defeat of his father. Moreover, he was hot tempered and easily influenced by wrong advice.

Providentially, God put Esther in a position to also influence Xerxes in order to preserve the Jewish people. Not as dramatic, but as a young married couple, we briefly moved to Mississippi. Our daughter had a puzzling medical condition that previous doctors (a dozen) were unable to solve. Her new pediatrician diagnosed the problem correctly after only one exam. We thanked God and instantly new why He had allowed us to move to Mississippi.

If you ask someone to share a story of when God acted providentially in his or her life, follow up with the question “To what end do you think the events were allowed to transpire?” Surely, they should lead us to trust God in the midst of our circumstances.

Good coming out of a bad situation

Step 2 of “When Life Turns Upside Down” in this week’s Explore the Bible lesson is titled Accept Unavoidable Changes, and is based on Esther 2:5-7. Esther’s sacred name, Hadassah means myrtle tree, which has a bloom that’s used to make perfume. I’m sure Esther brought the sweet fragrance of a God-pleasing response to the unexpected events that occurred in her life.

The story of The Little Grass Hut illustrates how good can come out of a bad situation.

When Life Turns Upside Down

This week begins a series of “Explore the Bible” lessons from Esther. First up is “When Life Turns Upside Down (Mark Rathel’s commentary)”, based on Esther 1:1-2:23. From my perspective, study how Esther responded when her time came to meet with King Xerxes (2:15)? Did she follow one of these Seven tips for surviving sudden change? As a case study, also consider how Mordecai responded: (1) when his uncle died? (2) when Esther was taken away?

A page for all

The Baptist Start Page has lots of helps for teaching Nehemiah.

A handful for sure

Should Christians observe a day of rest each week? This article is spot on IMHO. Read it carefully to help you prepare to teach Step 4 of “Keeping Commitments”, which is based on Nehemiah 13:15-18.

This lesson is shaping up to be challenging because members will need to contrast New Testament teaching on tithing and observance of the Sabbath with that as taught in the Old Testament. Principle versus command, or how do you plan to treat the topic of tithing and Sabbath observance?

Cause and effect

If “Keeping Commitments” were not important there wouldn’t be so many new articles mentioning “lack of financial support”. Make a list of interesting, recent failures due to lack of support and use it to demonstrate the results of poor follow through by those who make commitments.

P.S. Also made me think of "running on empty" and "shoestring operations".

It occurred to me that the topic of "Should Christians tithe?" might come up as part of your lesson.

Cleaning house

Part of “Keeping Commitments” was to use the temple the way God intended. When Nehemiah returned he discovered the misuse of the temple. The obvious parallel is that Christians should not misuse the temple of the Lord today. It may be time for some personal ‘house cleaning’? See the house cleaning custom observed in Italy as an interesting illustration.

Keeping Commitments

My lesson yesterday worked out very well. Since the topic was 'issue' based, I decided in the end to approach it by asking members the question "What does the Bible say?" about valuing life. I opened the lesson with four scenarios requiring members to give their advice in each case. I followed each answer with a question, "What's the premise of your argument?". I must admit, this created some anxiety, but I received so many positive comments afterwards from members that I concluded the lesson was successful in getting members to think deeply about their positions regarding 'valuing life'. My lesson was followed by a seven minute presentation from the director of a local CareNet facility, and her talk was well received, too. I hope you had good success, too!

This week's lesson, "Keeping Commitments" concludes our study of Nehemiah. This video shows how "good intentions" may not be what they seem.

Valuing Every Life

Here are my PowerPoint slides for Sunday's lesson, "Valuing Every Life".

Hope I'm not posting them too late to be of use to you!

Last year

I went back and read "Live in Respect" on this blog, which was last year's "sanctity of life" lesson . If you teach a class with older members you may want to consider using it.

Years ago I memorized Psalm 139 as a means to understand the fear of the Lord and to meditate on the nature of God. We respect the Lord when we live obediently, and aware of God's presence at all times.

One idea I've had for teaching this lesson is to use a Q&A method that tests how well members are able to interpret and apply Scripture in a moral argument against abortion, euthanasia, embryo stem-cell research, etc. For example, consider the Scriptures cited in support of these Texas SBC resolutions. Are the Scriptures being interpreted according to good hermeneutical principles? The idea is to challenge members to rightly interpret the Bible's teaching regarding the sanctity of life.

God accompanied Noah

Step 3 of “Valuing Every Life” continues application of Psalm 139 to the issue of the value God places on each life. You might consider using the Truth video in your class.

An inspiring story to share with members is that of baby Noah, an embryo rescued from Katrina flooded New Orleans. Wow! He can always tell of how God providentially cared for him. Here is another account of Noah’s birth.

Dumbfounded

Step 2 of “Valuing Every Life” focuses on God and His knowledge of each of us as revealed in Psalm 139. I watched the National Geographic film Multiples this past Sunday and the video of what goes on in the womb is amazing. It made clear to me how a child in the womb feels, sees, and hears. Interestingly, in twins, for example, one twin becomes aware of and knows the other twin long before they are born.

Films from Sermonspice based on Psalm 139 might be useful to you in preparing Sunday’s lesson.

I don’t know about you, but I'm struggling to prepare for this lesson since I don't know what I can teach that everyone doesn't already know--the national tragedy of aborting 45 million children since 1973 is incomprehensible.

Valuing Every Life

This Sunday is a special lesson entitled “Valuing Every Life” that corresponds to “Sanctity of Life” Sunday. This resource kit might be useful to you.

May God have mercy on us.

Good idea!

Ron Moore of First Baptist, Clarksville, TN is doing a daily email devotion Monday through Friday of each week. According to Ron, they are short, easy to read, and have a challenge for each day.

The devotions are related to the Explore the Bible Sunday School materials, using the same scriptures as in the lesson. If you are interested in getting the devotions link to “first things first”.

Taken seriously

When we blurt out, “I mean what I’m saying!” we do so in sincerity if we want to be taken seriously. When we say something like, “Can I talk to you about a matter that’s on my mind?” we do so in sincerity if we want the other person’s undivided attention. Can you think of other situations where you want your sincerity to be clear? For example, when you write a business letter, you end it with “Sincerely,”.

In Step 4 of “Rededicating Lives”, the Israelites wanted to indicate the sincerity of their recommitment to God, so they made an agreement and on which they placed their personal seals. Read Nehemiah 9:38, and 10:28-29. What do you do to indicate that you mean business with God?

Google, or Yahoo! “Service Agreements” and you’ll see lots of examples that underscore business relationships in today’s world. Here is a list of general components in a service agreement. Thought question: Would you be willing to complete and sign a service agreement with God?

Confession

Step 3 of “Rededicating Lives” comes from Nehemiah 9:1-2, which describes how the people repented publicly because of their encounter with God when his word was read aloud by Ezra. Essentially, their confession was a public demonstration of their collective private experience where they agreed with God about their sinful condition.

Zacchaeus offers a good example of public confession in the New Testament (Luke 19:7-9). If you need help capturing the video for playback in class, let me know.

How do you plan to illustrate repentance and public confession on Sunday?

Relationship vs Faith

In “Rededicating Lives” from Nehemiah 8:1,5-6,9-10, Step 2 highlights a change in the Israelite’s form of worship from that of only making ritual sacrifices to that of also reading of God’s word publicly.

This triggers a question. As you practice your Christian faith, which is more central to obedience: a focus on your personal relationship with Jesus Christ or regularly reading the Bible?

Obviously, both are critical, but I wonder if we don’t sometimes put our focus on ‘personal relationship’ and neglect Scripture?

What is the role of reading Scripture in practicing your faith?

P.S. The results of last week's poll indicate that most of those who visit this site are teachers. Thanks for participating! Management

Rededicating Lives, Nehemiah 8:1-10:39

This week’s lesson “Rededicating Lives” is timely because we all fail and need to be reminded to confess our sin and recommit personally to God’s service. When a Christian sins, fellowship with the Lord is damaged even though the guilt of personal sin is eliminated through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. As background for this lesson read Nehemiah 8:1-10:39.

A Christian friend of mine likens the Church in America today as “one giant baby nursery”. “Christians are simply refusing to grow up and mature in Christ,’ he claims. Ask class members to think critically about my friend’s statement. Have them explain why they would agree or disagree with his assertion.

P.S. I'll remove our poll tonight (see right side of page) and report the results tomorrow, so if you have not participated then today is your last chance!

Manipulation today

Step 5 of “Devising Strategies” is based on Nehemiah 6:11-13. Nehemiah recognizes an attempt to ruin his good name. He wants to obey the Law and not sin (fears God) rather than run and hide.

I didn’t know the speculation that Nehemiah was a eunuch? Did you?

Are you beyond being manipulated today? Explain. How is your credibility as a teacher put on the line Sunday after Sunday?

Know thy enemy

Taken from Nehemiah 6:2-3, Step 4 of “Devising Strategies” illustrates how evil adapts its tactics in an attempt to thwart God’s purposes. However, Nehemiah didn’t negotiate with it (evil). Instead, he demonstrated he knew and understood his enemy very well.

How well do you know your enemy? Are you easily distracted by it (evil), or do you recognize it for what it is and refuse to fall prey to its tactics?

Have members name common distracters in their lives. Email? Phone? Radio? TV? How do these divert them from doing what they set out to do? Watch this video to see how even a baby can be distracted.

Devising defensive strategies

How do you respond to intimidation? Do you take steps to enhance your security (Neh. 4:12-13, 19-20, 22)? How do you prevent an intimidator from controlling you based on your responses?

The Lifeway Explore the Bible material offers an example of winning a game by a good defense (p.67). In football, for example, both teams constantly adjust their game tactics in response to each other’s actions. Both teams have the goal to win the game.

Computer security requires an adaptive defensive strategy against virus software.

How do you plan to illustrate Step 3 in this week’s lesson “Devising Strategies” ?

Trash talk'n

While reading about how Sanballat taunted Nehemiah and the Jews in Nehemiah 4:1-2,4, I thought about today’s practice of “trash talk”. Read about “woffin” and “sledging” and consider using these means of taunting today in your discussion of Step 2 in this week’s lesson “Devising Strategies.”

Happy New Year!

This site began in May 2005 and ended 2005 with an average 300 monthly visitors and 82 returning monthly users who looked at roughly 1,000 pages on average. Looking at the chart, this site ended 2006 with a good increase in these same average statistics! We had an average of over 400 returning monthly users out of an average 1046 unique visitors looking at over 2600 pages on average! Wow! Thank you Lord!

It is a blessing to discuss teaching God’s Word in a community of other believers who are interested in the LifeWay Explore the Bible lesson series.

Please participate in the poll to find out “what we do/how we serve” in our local church.

May 2007 be a great year for all of us—pray for the Lord’s return.

We are studying Nehemiah 4:1-7:73 this week in a lesson called, “Devising Strategies”.

Poll results

Below is a chart showing the results of our poll on lesson commentaries and helps that regularly appear on the web. I don't think too much can be concluded by examining the results, but thank you for participating!

My church is not having Bible study classes the next two weeks, so I'm going to take a break from blogging. May God bless you with a merry Christmas celebration of the birth of Christ and a fun welcoming of the new year!

Time person of the year

Click here to download my slides for "Follow Godly Spiritual Leaders".

I'm sorry I posted these too late to be of help to most of you, but maybe you can critique them anyway?

I noticed that ordinary people were named as 'man of the year' by Time Magazine. Thanks for contributing to this blog. We are a very, very small part of what happens on the web, but we are a part, and for that we are thankful!

Diamond level support

Step 4 of “Follow Godly Spiritual Leaders” is based on Ezra 10:1-5. Ezra needed to be encouraged after hearing about the unfaithfulness of the exiles. The people did this by confessing their sin and supporting Ezra as a leader.

Watch this video to see how one member encourages her spiritual leader.

I read a previous post on this blog about Spiritual Leadership. Ask members to send a note of encouragement to a Godly leader that has helped them know God better and they can recognize God at work in their lives.

You could show a picture of a diamond where the facets are clearly visible, and then label the facets with actions members can take that demonstrate support for a leader. The diamond’s value increases when the facets are cut correctly and then polished to perfection. Our support for Godly spiritual leaders can be rated on a scale ranging from a lump of coal (lowest) to a diamond (best).

Mercy

In reading Ezra 9:1-2,4 for Step 3 of “Follow Godly Spiritual Leaders”, I was reminded of how our actions negatively impact not only our lives, but also the lives of those around us. For example, Ezra was devastated by the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

Simply put, ungodly behavior devastates the lives of others. Only God is righteous, however. May he have mercy on us and remake us to will and to act according to His good purpose.

Interview a leader

For step 2 of “Follow Godly Spiritual Leaders”, consider interviewing one of your church’s pastors during class in a talk-show, host-guest format. Place a couple of stools in front of members and announce your guest. Both of you should take a seat and appear relaxed. Prepare a list of questions in advance (also share these with him so he’ll be prepared). Spend no more than 15 minutes. A sample list of questions follows. If you have some you’d like to suggest for our consideration, please post them!!

Start by saying, “Thank you [insert name] for agreeing to let us interview you today. As we just read in Ezra 7:8-10, God had his hand on Ezra and Ezra made choices to follow God’s word, and teach it to others. He was called by God as a leader of the people of Judah.”

1. Tell us how you became aware of God’s call on your life.

2. What did you do to prepare yourself for ministry?

3. Could you share with us a particular leader that you admire today and why?

4. May I open it up to members and allow them to ask you a question or two?

Follow Godly Spiritual Leaders

Our church has called a new pastor—Dr. David Flemming. He will start his ministry the first Sunday in January 2007, so this week’s lesson, “Follow Godly Spiritual Leaders” is particularly appropriate for members of Champion Forest Baptist Church. The lesson is taken from the last four chapters of Ezra.

One way to organize your lesson is to start by telling members that you want them to think of possible applications as you present an insightful review of the lesson chapters. Present your review (Have someone in the class help read selected verses, so that other voices are heard aside from yours), which shouldn't take more than half the allotted time for class.

Then apply the scriptures by asking members, “How do these chapters of Ezra apply to us today?” Then, as they are lead, allow members to speak about possible applications. Play off their comments and ask follow up questions. This should create good discussion about the verses as well as how they apply today.

Doing the Lord's Work

Co-teacher Curt tells me, “We are doing the Lord’s work,” and that encourages me. I hope it encourages you. When we teach others what we’ve learned about God and His word, remember the Holy Spirit is the person really in control of learning. Yes, we prepare, make lesson plans, and pray about our classes, but in the end it is God that speaks His word thru the Spirit to the hearts and minds of learners (including us) to draw people to Him. We can have absolute confidence in God on this point. Keep truck’n and may God bless you!

God given goal

A good example of working with confidence in God is William Wilberforce's “confidence in God's power and purpose to end slavery through his efforts.” Share Wilberforce’s example in Step 4 of “Working with Confidence in God”. A powerful question is this, “What personal mission from God are you endeavoring to complete?” We must have a God-given goal wherein we can work with confidence in God.

Completing it will bring a time of joy. Wilberforce went home to be with God just three days after his four decade long struggle to rid England of slavery. Surely there was a party in heaven that day!

Make your intentions clear

The lesson “Working with Confidence in God” targets strengthening our confidence when serving God. Using Ezra 4:24,5:1-5, Step 3 deals with opposition from Persian rulers when the Jews were rebuilding the temple after the exile. When facing opposition I remind myself of Eph 6:11-13. However, what encourages me most is to remind myself of who I am in Christ.

As I read the material for this step, I thought about the need to make our intentions clear. We face opposition sometimes when our intentions are misunderstood. For example, the Samaritans believed the Jews intended to establish national boundaries in existence prior to the Babylonian captivity. However, the Jews were only rebuilding the temple as Cyrus degreed. Has there been a time when your intentions were unclear, and that misunderstanding lead to opposition of your efforts?

Stymied again!

I’ve been curious about what gave rise to the hatred between the Jews and Samaritains (eg. John 4:9). The passage from Ezra 4:4-5, comprising Step 2 of “Working with Confidence in God,” gives insight into the matter—the Smitarians discouraged the Jews and bribed officials to frustrate their rebuilding plans. David Self’s commentary on the lesson offers some needed background to understand the racial hostility between these two groups of people.

The word stymie used to describe an interesting golf shot, but it’s also used to mean hinder, or block accomplishment. How do you relate to people that deliberately stimie your progress? Do you end up hating one another as the Jews and Smaritians did?

Have your good intentions ever been stymied by someone? Has your career been stymied by a particular boss? Do you keep trying or simply quit? Do you seek wisdom from a leader, from Scripture, or simply ‘wing it’? Do you consider good alternatives, or get frustrated?

Let go!

I thought about the phrase "cry Uncle" while I was reading the material for this week's lesson "Working with Confidence in God", which is based on Ezra 4:1-6:22. Perhaps discussing the origin of the term might make an interesting introduction to the lesson? See Please Release Me (scroll down the bottom of the page).

Below a quote taken from a post on Wordwizard Clubhouse.

"The expression variously appears CRY/HOLLER/SAY UNCLE! and is an Americanism which is a request for a concession of defeat – to beg someone to stop, to surrender. UNCLE is the verbal concession the defeated party is require to say before being let go. But no one knows its origin for sure, so all we actually have is educated guesses [however, the journal ‘American Speech’ under Cassell’s and the 1980 quote (see below) is probably the most authoritative]. It first appeared as a schoolyard expression in around 1900 and began to be used figuratively by mid-century.
________________________________________________
Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins
UNCLE!: ‘To say’ or ‘cry uncle’ has since the beginning of this century meant ‘to give up, to surrender, to say you’ve had enough.’ Apparently it is of schoolboy origin, at least it is most used by schoolboys when fighting, especially when one has another pinned helplessly on the ground. For about 30 years the cry ‘give’ has been more common in the New York City area, but one still hears the earlier expression. [[From personal experience, I can tell you that in N.Y.C. ‘give’ goes back at least 50 years]]. Why ‘uncle’ was chosen by kids is anybody’s guess; there probably is no good reason unless a defeated boy originally had to curse his uncle, just a s bullies often make their victims curse their mothers and sisters before letting them go. Which is no more than a guess. ‘Cavy!’ a similar expression not heard anymore, is said to date back to Tudor times, a corruption of the Latin ‘peccavi,’ meaning ‘I have sinned, I am wrong.’
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Random House Dictionary of America’s Popular Proverb’s and Sayings
SAY UNCLE Surrender! This expression originated in the United States in about 1900. Lexicographer Charles Earl Funk [[of the Funk and Wagnall dynasty]] thinks that the phrase may have some Latin connection. When a Roman boy was in trouble, he cried ‘patrue mi Patruissime’ (‘Uncle my best of uncles’). CRY/HOLLER/YELL is a variant, which is always used figuratively.
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Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang
CRY/HOLLER/SAY UNCLE verb [1910s and still in use]: To beg someone to stop an action, to surrender. [“‘uncle’ in this expression is surely a folk etymology, and the Irish original of the word is ‘anacol’ (‘anacal,’ ‘anacul’) ‘act of protecting; deliverance; mercy, quarter, safety,’ a verbal noun from the Old Irish verb ‘aingid,’ protects.” (from ‘American Speech’ LI, 1976)] [[see 1980 quote below for fuller statement]]"

When opportunity comes knocking

I was thinking about how to close this lesson in a meaningful way. Life presents all of us a series of opportunities that we react to based on a number of different factors. What opportunities matter to you? Which ones are too big to turn down? Are there some that you just can’t pass by?

We have friends whose home was destroyed by Katrina. As soon as it was permitted our friends returned to New Orleans to begin rebuilding their home. Just as the Hebrews wanted to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, our friends were eager to rebuild New Orleans and their home.

You can search Google News for stories concerning rebuilding N.O. or a home there and share it with your class. As an aternative, here is a link to a secular article that uses white-water rafting to illustrate aspects of responding to opportunities in life.

The following bar chart shows the usage of this site as determined by Statcounter.com. What happened in October is a bit of a mystery, but in November, returning visitors continued to rise. For this I am thankful! I appreciate all of you who visit here and encourage me. Thanks to all who help make this site a place where Bible teachers can help each other prepare.

Take God's perspective into account

In the Baptist Standard, Howard Anderson’s commentary on “Seizing New Opportunities” includes a pertinent question: Can an opportunity that looks good be contrary to God’s will? Why do I bring this up?

The LifeWay material for Step 4 is based only on Ezra 3:10-11, but another perspective is gained by also considering Ezra 3:12. Some of the older Israelites were saddened at the sight of the new foundation (see also Haggai 2:3). It was like nothing compared to the previous temple. The people who had never seen Solomon’s temple, however, were overjoyed.

Where in your Church do older people see opportunities differently that younger people? The key is to observe their response. We may not be able to pick our circumstances, but we can choose our response. Paul exhorted believers to “Be joyful always” (1 Thes 5:16) because God is in control.

Wow! That was fast!

Step 3 of “Seizing New Opportunities” is focused on Ezra 3:1-3. To help members understand just how rapidly the Hebrews seized the opportunity to worship God in their own homeland, I would also read verse Ezra 3:6. They deemed it more important to worship God than to lay the foundation of the temple. Their actions demonstrated their priorities. Look at how fast a gal can stack paper cups. Compare that to how fast you can stack up worship to God when given an opportunity!

Half-full attitude

To learn to respond to a God-given opportunity, which is Step 2 of “Seizing New Opportunities”, we have to first learn to recognize an opportunity when presented to us.

We are numbed by everyday activities and tend to miss what might be happening around us. Since God operates thru the local church, make a list of activities happening in your church. For example, in my church we are anticipating the arrival of a new pastor. That would be an opportunity on my list.

Present your list of ‘what’s happening’ to members and ask them to rate each one with the symbol “half-full”, or “half-empty”. The half-full rating indicates the opportunity is on the way up, whereas, the half-empty rating indicates the opportunity has past its peak and is on the way down. Summarize the ratings verbally, but point out how they indicate one’s attitude. Learning to react positively will help us be open to opportunities as God presents them to us.

Tracing God's Hand

I’m excited about studying Ezra since I’m not that familiar with the book. The idea of the first lesson “Seizing New Opportunities” from Ezra 1:1-3:13 is to see God’s hand in the opportunities that come our way in life. You might consider the following idea as you introduce the lesson. Post a regional map where everyone can see it and put your hand on the map and trace the outline of your hand with a marker. Emphasize to members that by studying Ezra we want to learn to recognize God hand in our lives thru the opportunities presented to us. Make the point that only by seizing them can we experience the blessings God intends for us. Done right, you can get everyone expecting to experience the blessings of God at work in their lives. How exciting is that?!

In addition to the study questions by Sonshine linked to above, she also posted a background guide to Ezra that might help you. Send a note to Sonshine and thank her!! The blessing of reading her material is a God given opportunity we should seize today!

Slides for Love One Another

Click here to download the PPT slides I created to use in teaching the lesson "Love One Another".

I pray that your lesson pleases God and that He blesses every member with complete understanding of His will to love one another.

Finishing Hebrews

As the kids piled into the car to leave after the holiday, we shouted last minute exhortations. “Remember to order the carpet. Remember to change your oil and get your tires rotated. Do not neglect your health, so schedule that physical exam.”

As the writer of Hebrews closed his letter, he crammed Hebrews 13 with final exhortations. Love one another. Live pure lives. Imitate and assist leaders. Remember Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever, so his purpose in the life of a believer has not changed.

Step 5 of the lesson “Love One Another” takes its point from Hebrews 13:17-19, which is an exhortation to obey and pray for responsible leaders. The writer of Hebrews closed the book with an inspirational prayer for his readers (Hebrews 13:20-21).

How do you plan to close your lesson? It’s the last lesson in our series on Hebrews. Are you going to summarize the main teaching points of the entire letter? Do you plan to ask people what they have learned by studying the book? How do you plan to end the sentence, “Let me finish by saying…”.

More to the story

Sam Tullock points out in his commentary on “Love One Another” that the passage Hebrews 13:1-25 addresses a broader range of topics than love. He goes on to say, “Above all, this week’s lesson highlights the centrality of Christ to the life of believers.” Step 4 verses Hebrews 13:12-16 underscore his point. We identify with Christ, “bearing the disgrace he bore,” and through him, continually praise and thank God.

Follow the leader

This week I decided to use the LifeWay Adult Extra material to help with this week’s lesson, entitled “Love One Another.” Step 3 is titled ‘Imitate Leaders’, which brings to mind the kids game, “follow the leader”. The step references Hebrews 13:7-8, which says that leaders spoke “God’s word”.

For fun, play “follow the leader” this way. Ask, a member to say out loud any single verse they know from memory. Afterwards, ask if any member of the class can also say the same verse from memory, and then allow some person to quote the verse. Then ask that person to say a new (single) verse from memory. Again, ask if a member of the class can follow that leader and say the verse. Continue a bit before stopping the game. The game illustrates imitating leaders who speak the Word to us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Simple to say, hard to do

Step 2, based on Hebrews 13:1-6, is titled Love People in the LifeWay Leader Guide for this week’s lesson “Love One Another.” This is easy to say, but hard to do. The Lord gave us a direct command to “love one another” (John 15:12) and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). We may not know what all that means, but we can allow Scripture to guide us to emulate Christ.

Jesus added, “as I have loved you”, so he set the example for us to follow. Hebrews 13:1-6 lists several ways to demonstrate love as does 1 Cor 13:4-7. You might consider using the Adult Extra suggestion for this step, which I like.

An alternative is to put the focus on verse 6.

What's love?

In his commentary on this week’s lesson from Hebrews 13:1-25, “Love One Another,” Mark Rathel points out rather pointedly the wrong teaching that phileo love is a lower level love than agape love. Agape love is “love by choice”, whereas phileo love involves the emotions. God demonstrated both types of love toward humanity.

The word love is so misunderstood, especially given its importance—it’s the royal law of Christ (John 13:34, James 2:8, 1 John 4:21). I recommend a healthy discussion to define love. Otherwise, listeners will have their own definition. Anyone care to take a stab at defining it?

Serve, not be served

Step 5, Hebrews 12:17-29: Unlike the ancient Jews who trembled with fear and dared not approach God, the Hebrew Christians could boldly come under a new covenant redeemed by the blood of Christ to worship the living God in the company of others. The writer warned them not to turn away from such an opportunity, but instead be thankful and not presume on an awesome God.

Read Psalm 19:13 and discuss with members what it means to presume on God.

Keep on keep'n on

Step 4 of “Persevere Amid Difficulty” comes from Hebrews 12:12-16, which highlights the obligations of a believer to help others in the race toward Christian maturity and possible dangers to avoid along the way.

We are to strengthen our resolve, remove obstacles for others and avoid getting sidetracked.

One measure of maturity is how quickly you offer help to another Christian that falls into difficulty. To apply verses 12 and 13 show a list of names of people from the Wednesday night prayer service and ask members to consider ways they can help and encourage others in difficulty.

Cut and run

Do you see a present, difficult circumstance as discipline from the Lord? If so, take comfort and be not disheartened. Step 3 in this week’s lesson “Persevere Amid Difficulty“ comprises verses Hebrews 12:4-8. We are called to endure hardship as discipline from the Lord, and not grow weary. It’s time to worry if you don’t have any problems!! A child never disciplined never learns self-discipline. Thank God for disciplining us.

Circumstances reveal our character. How do you react in tough times? Do you cut-and-run (quit), or persevere? Our goal is to learn to endure, but how do we teach that?

The writer of Hebrews used positive examples in chapter 11, and the supreme example of Christ going to the cross at the start of chapter 12. You could use ‘negative’ examples, i.e. discuss situations where people do cut-and-run as depicted in the cartoon example.

Be honest about unbelief

What discourages you to the point of “unbelief?” Step 2 of “Persevere Amid Difficulty” considers verses Hebrews 12:1-3, which mentions the “the sin that so easily ensnares”. Read these verses and ask members what tempts them not to believe in today’s world. Have an honest discussion and pray that the Holy Spirit demolishes strongholds, or arguments against the knowledge of God, which leads not to unbelief, but faith in Christ.

Persevere Amid Difficulty, Hebrews 12:1-29

This week’s lesson, “Persevere Amid Difficulty”, is taken from Hebrews 12:1-29. When I think of perseverance I’m reminded of the Biblical phrase “set my face like flint”, which appears in Isaiah 50:7. We are told in Luke 9:51 that Jesus “set his face” to go to Jerusalem.

Daniel also “purposed in his heart”. In your life, have you ever “set your face” to accomplish a goal? Describe what it felt like. What obstacles did you overcome?

In case your interested...

Click here to download the PPT slides I created to use tomorrow for teaching the lesson "Exhibit Your Faith".

Let me know if PPT material like this is useful to you.

Remain steadfast, eh?

In the last step of “Exhibit Your Faith”, taken from Hebrews 11:17-19,24-26, the writer explained the details of how Abraham and Moses operated in faith. Abraham believed (faith) that God would raise Isaac from the dead, and Moses looked into the future (by faith) to his reward and then chose to suffer disgrace by abandoning Pharaoh’s house.

Each man took actions that demonstrated his faith in the Lord, but get this: neither received what was promised during his earthly life! That’s the point. Don’t miss it.

If nothing else, we should at least remain steadfast and put into action today the Lord’s command to love one another because we know (by faith) that Jesus Christ will return one day. Love's actions reveal our faith like windmill turns demonstrate the wind's presence.

What acts of love for one another can you do today? Take a walk together? Go out to dinner together? Write a note? Give a gift? Pray together? Read God’s Word together?

Pictures of faith

Step 4 of “Exhibit Your Faith” focuses on Hebrews 11:13-16. SonShine writes questions about these verses as though she were walking through a Portrait Gallery of Faith. On the walls hang pictures of persistent faith. Abel pictures a faith unto death, being killed by his brother. Enoch pictures a daily faith that walked with God. Noah pictures obedient faith, even in a time of judgment. Abraham pictures covenant faith, a faith grounded in knowing that God cannot lie and will keep His promises.

What picture of faith hangs above your name?

Who knows?

Suppose you declared your intent to walk a high wire strung from the roof of your house to your neighbor’s. Moreover, before you took your first step you declare, “I have faith in God.” How could someone know your action was a demonstration of your trust in God, or simply a foolish act?

Step 3 of “Exhibit Your Faith” is based on Hebrews 11:6-8, which highlights Noah’s faith to build an ark, not knowing what was to come and Abraham’s faith to “go to a place” when he was called, “not knowing where he was going.”

My question is how can other know when we are acting by faith in God? They can’t, but what's key is that God does know! And it pleases Him when we act in faith. Our challenge this week is not to think of ways to impress others with our faith, but to please God by trusting Him. In what ways are you trusting God at the moment?

Evidence of faith

Hebrews 11:1-3 is the focal passage of Step 2 in this week’s lesson “Exhibit Your Faith”. Although people might question the reality of the object of faith, they do not challenge the existence of faith. Faith is real and it gives proof to what is not seen. For example, faith tells us that what we can see is actually made of things we cannot see. We also understand by faith that God created the universe.

However, the question in the lesson is how do we exhibit our faith? What actions do we take that makes our faith apparent? To this end, I like Mark Rathel’s commentary on faith in this week’s issue of Florida Baptist Witness. His tight sentences give us good insight.

In these uncertain times, what is the reality of your faith? It takes action to make your faith visible. To illustrate this, take a small transistor radio to class. Say that radio waves are in the air around us. We know they are there, but they are unseen. It takes action to reveal their presence. Turn on the radio and tune it to a station. Ask members what new action can they take that makes their faith evident .

Who do you look up to?

This week’s LifeWay lesson is taken from Hebrews 11:1-40. It’s called “Exhibit Your Faith”. State that believers demonstrate their faith in God by the actions they take. They look to God and believe even though they don’t experience (can’t see) the full reality of God’s promise.

Bill Gates had a vision of a PC on every desktop. He put his ‘faith’ to work when he founded Microsoft. Richard Stallman had a vision of free software that’s unrestricted like free speech and founded the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation. These two views of the software world were in opposition, but each has been wildly successful (in different ways).

Both of these men had faith in themselves and their ideas, but a Christian has faith in God, which leads to specific actions that are ultimately commendable by the Lord himself. Consider Jim Dobson for example. He had a vision for a ministry to families and founded Focus on the Family.

While Bill Gates and Richard Stallman inspire millions and their achievements are laudable, I admire Dr. Dobson more. The manner in which he lives out his faith makes him a hero to me. Others (non-believers) disparage Dr. Dobson regularly because of his faith. What ‘actions of faith’ does Jim Dobson demonstrate that I would like to see in my life? Good question.

Ask members to name a Christian they admire and have them consider that same question. The answers might surprise you!

I can do all things thru Christ

This week I had some dental work done, which you might say, “I had to endure.” I had confidence in the dentist, so I “suffered patiently,” expecting good results. After an hour in the chair, I was rewarded with what’s soon could be a better looking smile.

I say all this to illustrate Step 4 of “Exercise Confidence,” which is based on Hebrews 10:32-36,39. The writer encouraged the Hebrew Christians to trust God, believe His promise of forgiveness and patiently endure their suffering as they waited for Christ’s return.

Commenting on this lesson Cyndi Grace asks, “What is it that you are fearing or uneasy about? Are you about to give up? Are you at the end of your rope? Where does your faith need strengthening?” Be encouraged by this passage to faithfully persevere knowing that God is with you.

The sin of unbelief

The LifeWay Leader Guide for Step 3 of “Exercise Confidence” from Hebrews 10:26-31 is a little confusing. It says the passage “likely” applied to believers, but then the commentary seems to focus on a non-believer who thinks he is saved.

To me, verse 29 indicates the passage is written to believers given the phrase “which he was sanctified.” That’s a saved person.

I’m wondering what sin the writer has in mind given the context? The Hebrew believers were turning back to Judaism, or abandoning the disciplines of their Christian faith. What sin in this context would deserve such a strong warning?

To clarify what sin the writer has in mind, I put the warnings given in Hebrews together in one statement as follows:

Do not drift away (Heb 2:1)
By unbelief that hardens your heart (Heb 3:12-14)
But God willing, go on to maturity, (Heb 6:1-3)
Because there is no more sacrifice for sin (Heb 10:26)
And there is no escape from judgment and loss of blessing (Heb 12:25)

So it seems that the sin of unbelief that hardens a heart is what the inspired writer is addressing. He has in mind a believer who is in danger of a hardened heart due to unbelief. The continual practice, or on-going sin of unbelief leads to harden heart and judgment.

Does this make sense? If so, how can we illustrate the heart-hardening nature of unbelief? I’m thinking of a “hardening catalyst”, or “hardening agent” mixed in a compound causes it to turn rock hard (as in some epoxies).

A more appropriate illustration might be to describe the way cholesterol (unbelief) leads to Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).