Lesson Highlight: "striveth for the mastery"

Striveth for the Mastery - 1 Corinthians 9:25
In "Word Focus", Dr. Glenn McClure focuses on the phrase "striveth for the mastery" (1 Corinthians 9:25) and writes:

Paul’s emphasis on self-control is expressed by G. G. Findlay: “Entering the race is not winning it; do not be satisfied with running, but make sure of winning — so run that you may secure (the prize)!” (Exp. Gk. Test.). So, Paul’s focus was on the word egkrateuetai (is temperate). These athletes trained for ten months prior to the Great Games, and under oath followed a prescribed diet and a vigorous control of passions. They did all they could “to make their bodies vigorous, active, and supple” (Barnes). This included abstaining from both unlawful and lawful indulgences.
If an athlete can do this just to win a wreath that will wither after one day, what should the Christian do to win an eternal crown?

Discussion: To what lengths should the Christian go to win life's race?
Source: Biblical Family Values, Adult Teacher's Insights, page 28.

2015-09-30T10:00:25+00:00September 30th, 2015|Categories: Lesson Highlights|0 Comments

Lesson Highlight: "give me this mountain" – Joshua 14:12

joshua14v12
"Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said." (Joshua 14:12)
David Woods writes in "God's Word for Today":

The most admirable aspect of Caleb's bold request to receive the inheritance God had promised was not his age, his perseverance for forty-five long years in the wilderness, or his courageous stand when the rest of the nation wanted to return to Egypt. Rather, Caleb's confident attitude is seen most now, having that past, asking for one of the most difficult areas of Israel in which he might settle.
The land Caleb wanted was mountainous. It was filled with the Anakim, the giants that scared the ten spies so many years before, and the remnants of which settled in Philistine territory.

Discussion: When you have your choice of challenges, do you choose the most difficult or the easiest?
Source: Biblical Family Values, Adult Teacher's Insights, page 24.

2015-09-25T10:00:14+00:00September 25th, 2015|Categories: Lesson Highlights|0 Comments

Lesson Highlight: "as strong … as I was"

As Strong ... As I Was - Joshua 14:11
"As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in." (Joshua 14:11)
In "God's Word for Today" for this lesson, David Woods asks the obvious question:

Do you think his estimation of himself was overstated? If we think Caleb was exaggerating (whether he was or wasn’t), what does our attitude say about ourselves?

Discussion: How can we develop and maintain such a positive and confident attitude toward life?
Source: Biblical Family Values, Adult Teacher's Insights, page 24.

2015-09-24T10:00:37+00:00September 24th, 2015|Categories: Lesson Highlights|0 Comments

Lesson Highlight: "wholly followed" – Joshua 14:8

Wholly Followed - Joshua 14:8
"Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God." (Joshua 14:8)
In "Biblical Perspective" for this week's lesson, Dr. Gordon Snider notes:

Three times in this short passage the words wholly followed the LORD are used of Caleb (vs. 8, 9, and 14). The word suggests fullness, abundance, and completeness. They are also a repetition of what God himself had said of Caleb in Numbers 14:24 and Deuteronomy 1:36.

Discussion: What does it mean to "wholly follow" the Lord?
Source: Biblical Family Values, Adult Teacher's Insights, page 23.

2015-09-23T10:00:00+00:00September 23rd, 2015|Categories: Lesson Highlights|0 Comments

Lesson Highlight: "how can I … sin against God?"

How Can I Sin Against God - Genesis 39:9
In the "Biblical Perspective" for this week, Dr. Gordon Snider writes:

Not only was this action forbidden by the master, it was wrong in the sight of God. A clear sense of right and wrong is one of the best defenses against temptation. Joseph did not have to think about it. He knew what was wrong, and he was not going to violate his conscience.

Discussion: Why is it helpful for us to see all sin as a sin against God, rather than just the breaking of the rules or a sin against someone else?
Source: Biblical Family Values, Adult Teacher's Insights, page 18.

2015-09-18T10:00:33+00:00September 18th, 2015|Categories: Lesson Highlights|0 Comments

Lesson Highlight: "the Lord made all … to prosper"

the Lord made all ... to prosper - Genesis 39:3
In "Biblical Perspective" Dr. Gordon Snider makes these comments...

His master saw that the LORD was with him. How did this heathen officer recognize the presence of the Lord? It seems likely that Joseph’s success was so remarkable that Potiphar asked for an explanation, and Joseph was quick to point to his God. From the beginning there was no bitterness toward God in Joseph for his circumstances. Bitter people seldom, if ever, make successful people. The LORD made all . . . to prosper. Joseph was not a “flash in the pan.” His success was an ongoing thing because God was constantly with him. Joseph turned out to be a better witness to his owner than he had been to his brothers. Such, sometimes, is the result of adversity.

Discussion: Are we careful to point to God as the reason for our success in life?
Source: Biblical Family Values, Adult Teacher's Insights, page 17.

2015-09-17T10:00:56+00:00September 17th, 2015|Categories: Lesson Highlights|0 Comments

"pray for us" – Hebrews 13:18

Pray for Us - Hebrews 13:18
"Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly." (Hebrews 13:18)
In "Biblical Perspective" for this week's lesson, Dr. Gordon Snider writes:

Is there a connection between the leaders of verse 17 and this request for prayer support in verse 18? Some would suggest that there is, and that this request shows that whoever wrote Hebrews had at one time been a leader among them. For we . . . have a good conscience. For here grammatically can be a cause for what follows. “Pray for us because.” If that is so here, the leader’s integrity becomes a call for prayer. Because he had lived blamelessly in their midst he hoped his people would be even more inclined to include him in their prayers.
2015-09-12T10:00:13+00:00September 12th, 2015|Categories: Lesson Highlights|0 Comments

"whatsoever ye do" – Colossians 3:23

colossians3v23
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." (Colossians 3:23)
In "Biblical Perspective" of this week's lesson Gordon Snider writes:

It is important to interpret these verses in the context of the servant situation, although they certainly may have a broader application. It is so easy, in difficult situations, to just go through the motions of doing your job, without any heart in it. But Christians, even in adverse situations, are reminded to fulfill their duty heartily, as to the Lord. When we are in a “survival” mentality, we often think thoughts like, “Who cares anyway?” Paul’s answer was that God cares. And He will reward you according to your faithfulness or lack of it.

Source: "Respecting Authority", Biblical Family Values, Adult Teacher's Insights, p. 12.

2015-09-11T10:00:16+00:00September 11th, 2015|Categories: Lesson Highlights|0 Comments

Lesson Highlight: love his brother – 1 John 4:21

"love his brother" - 1 John 4:21
 
In "Biblical Perspective" for this lesson, Dr. Gordon Snider writes:

Lest we think that love is the easy way out, John had a word of warning. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. If my love for God is not seen in my love for others, I don’t love God. It is that simple. It is easy to say that we love God, but do our actions toward others prove it? Love is to be the top priority in every relationship.

Source: "Biblical Perspective", Adult Teacher's Insights, page 7.
 

2015-09-04T10:00:28+00:00September 4th, 2015|Categories: Lesson Highlights|0 Comments

Lesson Highlight: "left thy first love"

"left thy first love" - Revelation 2:4
Expositor's Greek Testament, Volume V notes:

Jealous regard for moral or doctrinal purity, and unwavering loyalty in trial, so far from necessarily sustaining the spirit of charity, may exist side by side, as here, with censoriousness, suspicion, and quarrelling.

Discussion: How can we, in our attempt to remain doctrinally pure, avoid the error of Ephesus church, having "left [their] first love"?
Source: Expositor's Greek Testament, Volume V

2015-09-03T10:00:39+00:00September 3rd, 2015|Categories: Lesson Highlights|0 Comments
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