Category: Lessons

Jesus and the Johannine Letters

• Lesson 1 for the week of June 27 to July 4

1 John Observations: The Author: Although traditionally the author was taken to be the Apostle John, none of the letters identify the author by name. In 2 and 3 John he is referred to as...

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Mission

• Lesson 13 for the week of June 20 to June 27

1.  (Gen 12:1-3) At first glance, it may seem that God”s calling of Abram is an example of favoritism.  However, vs. 3 clearly describes God”s ultimate desire.  Why does God bless Abram?  What are some...

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Community

• Lesson 12 for the week of June 13 to June 20

Few would disagree that humans are social creatures that need community in order to live life to the full.  Without someone to receive us and care for us at birth, none of us would survive. ...

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Stewardship

• Lesson 11 for the week of June 6 to June 13

When Christians hear the word stewardship, many think of the need to carefully manage the financial resources God has given.  Stewardship, however, involves the careful use and management of all the resources God has entrusted...

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Discipleship

• Lesson 10 for the week of May 30 to June 6

Often, a “disciple” is defined as a “student.”  We should be careful, however, because our notion of student does not adequately capture what it meant to be a disciple during the time of Jesus.  In...

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Heaven

• Lesson 9 for the week of May 23 to May 30

How long has it been since you daydreamed about heaven?  It is surprising how seldom adults talk about what heaven will be like.  On most Sabbaths, one would have to visit a children”s Sabbath School...

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Rest

• Lesson 8 for the week of May 16 to May 23

Recent studies suggest that Seventh-day Adventists in the United States live between 5 and 7 years longer than the average American.  Usually, the credit is given to Adventism”s stress on healthy dietary habits.  How much...

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Grace

• Lesson 7 for the week of May 9 to May 16

1.  When Christians in the West speak of grace, they most frequently focus on the cross of Christ.  Are there other significant (and even symbolic) events during the life of Jesus that demonstrate grace?  What...

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Sin

• Lesson 6 for the week of May 2 to May 9

Like many other theological words, “sin” is widely used, but it”s precise definition is somewhat mysterious. 1.  (Gen 4:6-7)  While the first sin took place in Eden, the first explicit mention of the word “sin”...

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Revelation

• Lesson 5 for the week of April 25 to May 2

One of the foundational beliefs of Christians is that God exists and has revealed himself to us.  Theologians typically talk about two main types of revelation: general (or “natural”) revelation and special revelation. General revelation...

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Life

• Lesson 4 for the week of April 18 to April 25

Every culture has a hierarchy of values.  This is usually informal, but each member of that culture comes to recognize that some values are more important than others.  The lesson this week focuses on life-physical...

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Hope

• Lesson 3 for the week of April 11 to April 18

A century ago, many of those living in the so-called Western world were very optimistic about human nature and thus, very optimistic about the future. How much of this optimism remains is open to debate. ...

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Faith

• Lesson 2 for the week of April 4 to April 11

One of the challenges of talking about faith is that the word has so many different connotations.  As you reflect on the questions below, it may be valuable to list the many different ways in...

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Love

• Lesson 1 for the week of March 28 to April 4

This quarter, our discussion guide explores two related elements of the Christian life: doctrine and experience.  Each week, we will focus on one theme and, as Bruinsma suggests, we will “attempt to maintain a careful...

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