Lesson Highlights

How does God's Word speak to the 21st century work culture?
How does God's Word speak to the 21st century work culture?

How does God's Word speak to the 21st century work culture?

In "God's Word for Today" Gordon Snider writes:

Among the many things that have changed in my life-time is the employment picture in the USA. It used to be that a person spent an entire working career with one employer. The employee felt a certain amount of loyalty to the employer, and the employer felt a certain amount of responsibility for the needs of the employee, either because the employer had a generous heart, or because he was under contractual constraints with a union. Today, long-term commitment in the marketplace seems largely a thing of the past. And the resulting “dog eat dog” atmosphere makes it even more difficult for the employee to work “as unto the Lord.” It is important to remember that the biblical principles concerning master/servant weren't written under ideal conditions either. By almost any standards slavery is far worse than today's selfish employment theater, but whatever the social conditions of the day, the principles of God's Word remain the same. Be careful! Thoughtful attention to today's lesson may require an attitude change when you head to work tomorrow!

Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 22.

Herald & Banner Press2017-03-24T09:00:00+00:00March 24th, 2017|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Work|0 Comments

What's so wrong with being a "menspleaser"?

In "Word Focus" Glenn McClure writes:

Although one should serve to bring honor to God, there are many who are only rendering eye-service. This word “denotes service performed only under the master's eye . . . diligently performed when he is looking, but neglected in his absence” (W. E. Vine). Service that is rendered only when the master's eye is fixed on the worker stands as a reproach before fellow-workers, especially if that one is a Christian. This problem has always existed, especially if the service is of an involuntary nature. Faithfulness to perform only when under observation is a disgrace. One should be bound to perform his work with such faithfulness, not only because he is being watched by man, but because he is always being watched by God. Also, many perform so as to be menpleasers. This Greek word signifies a striving to please men. It designates “not simply one who is pleasing to men . . . but one who endeavors to please men and not God” (H. Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon of N.T. Greek). The object of the Christian worker is not to please men but to please and honor God. If service is rendered with this attitude, the service itself will stand as a testimony to the worker's religion.

Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 22.

Herald & Banner Press2017-03-23T09:00:00+00:00March 23rd, 2017|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Hypocrisy|0 Comments

What does it mean to be a "good" servant?

In "Word Focus" Glenn McClure writes:

The first word Jesus used was good. There are two words in the Greek that can be translated “good” — kalos and agathos. The word used here is agathos, and Jesus' use of it is very significant. In secular Greek agathos means serviceable and good — the good which evokes a state of well-being, whether intellectual, material, religious, or moral. Kalos embraces all these meanings as well as adding the idea of beauty, of loveliness, of graciousness, of winsomeness — that which appeals also to the eye. But why did Jesus use agathos instead of kalos in this parable? Because the result of its activity is essential, that good which is by its very root and character of a moral nature was used as a quality that is the foundation for righteousness. It is that good which preserves and supports, that which does more than justice demands (it is sometimes translated “generous”). It is that good which characterizes one who can be entrusted with a responsibility that will be executed to please his master. Agathos was used because the root or character of the person will be judged.

Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 16.

Herald & Banner Press2017-03-17T09:00:00+00:00March 17th, 2017|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Good|0 Comments

Is God fair in condemning people who've never heard the Gospel to Hell?
Is God fair in condemning people who've never heard the Gospel to Hell?

Is God fair in condemning people who've never heard the Gospel to Hell?

In "Doctrinal Discussion" Jason Lindahl writes:

Since the Bible says that we are judged based on the light we have, are the heathen better off being left alone so that they have an excuse for not living righteously? After all, they can't be held responsible for light they don't have, right?
There are at least three biblical reasons why this line of reasoning is faulty. First, Romans 1:19, 20 says, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them" … These verses teach us there is at least enough biblical evidence in the physical universe to reveal the existence of an all-powerful Creator that is greater than any idol someone could construct…
Second, Romans 2 says that every person has a God-given conscience which leads him instinctively to view certain behaviors as wrong and others as right…
Third, Jesus told us in John 16:8 that the Holy Spirit is active in this world, and that part of His job is to convict every individual in it of sin, righteousness, and judgment …

See your Adult Insights for the full discussion of this thorny question!
Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 20.

Herald & Banner Press2017-03-16T09:00:00+00:00March 16th, 2017|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Hell|0 Comments

What is the biblical perspective on division?
What is the biblical perspective on division?

What is the biblical perspective on division?

In "Biblical Perspective" Larry Grile writes concerning Colossians 3:11:

In the spiritual realm of redemptive grace, human distinctions and divisions are annulled. There are not Greek Christians and Jewish Christians; there are only Christians. In Christ, whether one is circumcised or not does not matter. Whether one is merely a foreigner or is a savage makes no difference. Whether one is a freeman or a slave makes no difference. But Christ is all, and in all. Human distinctions are not erased but are transcended in Jesus Christ. Man's efforts to erase distinctions through a socialist world order are doomed to confusion and failure. Socialism is carnal man's solution to the carnal frictions produced by the human differences in our world. On the other hand, Jesus Christ is everything! Before any of us came to Christ, we were nothing. No matter how low or high we thought we were, Christ exalted us. Now that we are in Christ, we are brethren. Now that Christ is in us, we have no need for social uniformity, for we share a kindred spirit that transcends our diversities (Gal. 3:28).

Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 12.

Herald & Banner Press2017-03-11T09:00:00+00:00March 11th, 2017|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Division, Relationships|0 Comments

Why do Christians struggle with troubled relationships?
Why do Christians struggle with troubled relationships?

Why do Christians struggle with troubled relationships?

In "God's Word for Today" Gordon Snider writes:

Most people would agree that broken relationships are a huge problem in today's world. The divorce rate supports this statement, as does the increasing tendency to resort to violence against others. Divided churches and families are also stark reminders that Christians need to pay a lot more attention to relationships. As important as believing the correct truths is, the defining mark of the New Testament Christians, according to John 13:35, was their love for each other. So what is wrong? Why are Christians today even dealing with such troubled relationships? The central truth of today's lesson proposes an answer to that question. “Proper relationships with others begin with a proper relationship with God.”

Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 10.

Herald & Banner Press2017-03-10T09:00:00+00:00March 10th, 2017|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Relationships|0 Comments

The Prerequisite for Successful Relationships
The Prerequisite for Successful Relationships

The Prerequisite for Successful Relationships

In "Word Focus" Glenn McClure writes:

Since life itself is built around relationships (both with others and with the Creator), the success of these relationships is determined by the set of the will: whether it is bent to the physical, twisted to the mental, or surrendered to the spiritual. Paul got right to the point of this matter. In Colossians 2 he showed what a true Christian ought not to follow. In chapter 3 he taught what the Christian ought to pursue. He enjoined various duties in the different relations of life, which should be performed in such a way as to show that true religion has a controlling influence over the heart. These relationships, both with God and with others, involve both action and attitude on the part of man.

Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 10.

Herald & Banner Press2017-03-09T09:00:00+00:00March 9th, 2017|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Relationships|0 Comments

What is the value of the human race in God's eyes?
What is the value of the human race in God's eyes?

What is the value of the human race in God's eyes?

In "Doctrinal Discussion" Jason Lindahl writes:

The dignity of humanity as the divine image-bearer has been under hell's attack for a very long time. The ancient Gnostics taught that matter was evil, including human bodies. The Hindus teach that in reincarnation, a person can return to earth as an insect or a lowly beast. According to Hinduism, it will take a very long time and much trial and error for a living form to escape this cycle of death and rebirth and somehow emerge pure and perfect. In all of this, salvation depends not upon a loving, personal God, but upon us. It is at this point that the Bible gives us the greatest testament to the value heaven places upon humanity. For God's Word tells us that the Father did not leave us to find a solution to our problems through endless years of struggle and reincarnation. Instead, He stepped into our world to provide the solution, and He did it by becoming a man! In the person of Jesus Christ, God became man and remains a man forever. God showed what incredible worth humanity has by taking on flesh and bone. He then laid down that physical body in death to provide us with “so great salvation” (Heb. 2:3).

Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 8.

Herald & Banner Press2017-03-04T09:00:00+00:00March 4th, 2017|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: God, Humanity, Value|0 Comments

Man – God's Special Creation
Man – God's Special Creation

Man – God's Special Creation

In "Word Focus" Glenn McClure writes:

The making or fashioning of man was not an act that resulted from a word spoken, but involved the personal and wise consideration of a planned purpose. This then resulted in an object carefully fashioned by God's own hands, so to speak, made from a substance (the ground) over which this object was to have dominion. It received life by the very breath of its Creator, and stands over all creation as the very image of its Creator. As H. Vorländer says, “His humanity resides in the life he has been given (2:7b) in his correspondence to God (1:27a). He is deemed worthy to be spopken to by God and to be given a task (2:16f.; 1:28)” (New International Dict. of N.T. Theology). God had purpose behind all creation, but that purpose resides in the grand purpose for man's creation. All of nature surely shows the handiwork of God, but His greatest expression is seen in man.

Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 4.

Herald & Banner Press2017-03-03T09:00:00+00:00March 3rd, 2017|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Man|0 Comments

What are ways we neglect the dignity of humanity?

In "God's Word for Today" Gordon Snider writes:

Ever since the publishing of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of the Species in 1859, there has been an increasing tendency to treat people with less dignity than God intended. The problem is widespread in our society. Many of the ethical questions facing today's world — genetic engineering, abortion, and assisted suicide, to name a few — are the result of this tendency to treat people as things to be manipulated rather than beings to be honored and respected. Sadly, even Christians who take strong, biblical stands on these issues can fall prey to the same subtle temptation. Often, perhaps always, when we fail to show due consideration for others, we have yielded to the temptation to treat others as something less than human. When we use people to accomplish our goals, we have done the same. Abuse in almost any form begins with denying the God-given dignity of the other person.

Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 4.

Herald & Banner Press2017-03-02T09:00:00+00:00March 2nd, 2017|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Dignity, Humanity|0 Comments