1. CARE Ministry -- Every Tuesday night -- supper at 5:30, outreach/in reach activities at 6:00 p.m.
2. VBS -- Dates for Vacation Bible School are July 19-23. Be sure to remind class members about these dates and continue to ask if any would volunteer to help. If you get some names of volunteers to help, e-mail those names to me or post them under comments to this blog post.
Lesson Supplement for June 14
Explore the Bible
"Receiving the Gospel"
Galatians 2:15-3:9
Intro. – This week's lesson is the second in a three-part unit, "Walking in Truth," which will cover the first four chapters of the book of Galatians. The goal of last week's lesson was to lead students to gain a clear understanding of what the true Gospel is. The intent of this week's lesson is evangelistic in scope on two fronts. First of all, the lesson will lead students to examine if they have genuinely accepted Christ by faith and entered into a relationship with Him. Secondly, for students who have already nailed down their salvation, this lesson will help them to share with others how to become a Christian.
Galatians 2:15-16 – The context in which these two verses are written is a discussion about Paul's disagreement with the Apostle Peter. Peter had demonstrated that he believed the gospel was for Gentiles and did not require them to follow strict Jewish laws. However, when certain Jewish Christians came to the mission field, Peter acted differently in their presence and seemed to go the other way in expecting Gentiles to follow the strict Jewish laws and customs in order to be truly saved. Paul's confrontation with Peter was to argue that the truth of the gospel is that we "Jews by birth" know that "no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ." Paul goes on to say that no human being will ever be justified by the works of the law. The basis of salvation is faith. You cannot ever do enough good deeds in life to merit salvation and eternity in heaven. Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ. He is the way the truth and the life (John 14:6). Have your students accepted Jesus by faith or are they trying to work their way into God's graces and His heaven?
Galatians 2:17-21 -- A genuine salvation experience causes one to change. One's outlook on life changes. One's behavior changes. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that the old way of living (sin) becomes new (obedience). How does this change take place in a believer's life? First of all, when you give your life to Jesus and accept Him by faith you are placing your belief in everything about Jesus. You believe in your heart that He is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for your sins, and that He rose again from the grave and is alive today awaiting His return to earth. Secondly, when you give your life to Jesus and accept Him by faith you are acknowledging your need for Him. You are acknowledging that you are a sinner and that you can never work your way to a relationship with God. So, in a genuine conversion experience, one places one's belief in Jesus by identifying completely with His mission and purpose. Paul captures this identification in verses 19-20 when he says, "I have been crucified with Christ (died to the law) and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." This is true conversion. It is identifying completely with Jesus and giving Him total control of one's life. I "died" with Him and now I live with Him. When Christ lives in and through me, I am different than I was before He saved me!
Galatians 3:1-5 -- This section encourages us to be consistent with our understanding of salvation and with our way of living it out. Last week, we talked about the false teachings that were infiltrating the church at Galatia and Paul writing this letter to set the record straight about the truth of the gospel. Here, he admonishes the Galatians to get back on the right track. Don't let anyone rob you of the joy you have in Christ by imposing a works-based understanding of salvation upon you. Don't be foolish, he says. Live by faith. You accepted Jesus by faith, now live by faith under the leadership of His presence in your life through the Holy Spirit. Anyone who attempts to add requirements to salvation other than faith in the work of Jesus Christ is basically saying that Jesus' death on the cross was not good enough for salvation. It was somehow inadequate. This diminishes the awesome work of Jesus in His death on the cross.
Galatians 3:6-9 -- Believers are blessed by God. The promise of that blessing is found in God's promise to Abraham when God tells Abraham that all nations will be blessed through him. The law did not exist at the time of this promise to Abraham. The law came much later through Moses. By grace God gave the promise to Abraham. By faith, Abraham received that promise. Abraham did not earn the promise. He simply believed God, and "it was credited to him for righteousness. Therefore, all nations (including Gentiles) are sons of Abraham if they have faith as he did.
Commitment – Lead students to examine the validity of their own salvation based on the teachings learned in this lesson. Are they living by faith in Jesus Christ or are they attempting to work their way to salvation? Encourage believers to use this lesson to help them witness to people this week.
For Further Help with this Week's Lesson Visit http://www.lifeway.com/articleclick/?id=166474 and read Dan Kassis' weekly article
Bible Studies for Life
"God Gives Love Lessons"
1 John 2:3-11, 15-17
Intro. -- During the month of June, we will study the book of 1 John to "Build Certainty" in our lives. In a world of uncertainties this study should strengthen and encourage us. Last week's lesson focused on the certainty of fellowship with God and with other believers. All humans have a need to belong and feel connected to others. This need can best be met when one belongs to the family of God. This week's lesson focuses on three ways that we can be certain that we have a relationship with God. Are we obeying God? Do we love others the way God loves? Do we avoid worldly influences?
1 John 2:3-6 -- John minces no words as he states that we can be sure that we have a relationship with God if we are keeping His commands. Obedience is evidence of relationship. You cannot say that you know God if you do not do what He says. In fact, John says that we should walk just He walked. We should be like Jesus. A true disciple is one who not only adopts the teaching of the one he follows, a true disciple literally strives to become exactly like the one he is following. A disciple lives, breathes, eats, and sleeps the one He is following. Obedience is evidence of true discipleship.
1 John 2:7-11 -- Now John offers another measure to determine the certainty of one's relationship with God. This measure states that you can know that you are in a relationship with God if you genuinely love others. John's readers would know that the command to love others is nothing new, but what is new is that in Christ's coming, He displayed exactly, to its fullest extent, what it means to love others. Believers are without excuse when it comes to loving others. The example has been given and the bar has been set. To "love" anyone less than the extent that Jesus loves us is not love at all. You and I are blind if we think we are walking in the light yet maintain hatred toward another. Loving others as Christ loved us is proof of one's relationship with God and certifies that relationship as genuine.
1 John 2:15-17 -- In contrast to the previous section of scripture where we are to love others, here John says that we are not to love the world. The "world" can be identified as anything that is contrary to the nature and Spirit of God. Additionally, in His prayer to the Father recorded in John 17, Jesus prays for his followers who are in the world "but not of the world." Love of worldly things is a form of idolatry because it shifts our love and devotion from God and establishes a replacement "god" in His stead in our lives. You cannot love the world and love God at the same time. There is no room for both. In these verses, John specifically identifies the things of this world as lust and pride. If our decisions and behaviors in life are selfishly motivated we have to question if the Father's love is truly in us. Do you want to be certain that you have a relationship with God? Ask yourself, "Do I avoid worldly influences or am I drawn to them?"
Commitment -- Lead students to examine the certainty of their relationship with God by these three measurements:
- Obedience
- Love of others as Jesus loves
- Avoidance of worldly influences
It may be necessary to lead people to understand how they can be saved if after examining themselves against these measurements, they discover that there may be some uncertainty about their relationship with God. Help believers who are certain of their relationship with God to re-dedicate themselves to obedience, loving others, and avoiding worldly influences.
Comments Welcome -- Any ideas for illustrations, other scripture, or class activities to enhance the lesson?