Our Blog
June 16, 2024: The Unity of the Church
FOCUS TEXT: 1 Peter 1:22--2:10
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 1:22 -- 2:25
DEVOTIONAL READING: Ephesians 2:11-22
KEY VERSE: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another (Romans 12:5).
CENTRAL TRUTH: Christians belong to each other because they belong to Christ.
OBJECTIVE: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify ways that unity can be demonstrated.
LESSON OUTLINE:
I. Children in the Same Family (1 Peter 1:22 -- 2:3)
II. Stones in the Same Building (1 Peter 2:4-8)
III. Citizens of the Same Kingdom (1 Peter 2:9, 10)
Summer 2024: The Church, God’s People
What is the Church? Is it a building? a religious service? an institution? a congregation? a denomination? an affiliation? It is all of these, but it is something more. The Church is the Body of Christ, of which He is the divinely appointed Head, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. The Head rules in heaven from the right hand of the Father. The Body works on earth which is the footstool of the Father.
All those who have accepted the Son, who have believed in Jesus, have become members of "the church, which is his body" (Eph. 1:22, 23). This Church is the fellowship of the redeemed, the people of God. It consists of all those in every place in all ages who by faith have been placed into vital, living union with the Head of the Church -- Jesus Christ. Planned by the Father, the Church was founded by the Son and is empowered by the Spirit.
On a narrower scale, it is a local community, since the believer finds himself actually meeting together with those living in his vicinity who profess this same faith-loyalty to Jesus Christ.
The New Testament never speaks of the universal church as the sum total of all local churches. It is a totality of redeemed people, not an organization of local congregations. The New Testament writers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, thought of only one church because there is only one Savior and Lord of the Church.
June 2, 2024: The Lord of the Church
FOCUS TEXT: Matthew 16:13-27
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: Ephesians 1:15-23; Colossians 1:12-20
DEVOTIONAL READING: Psalm 24:1-10
KEY VERSE: And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18).
CENTRAL TRUTH: Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church.
OBJECTIVE: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify ways to put Christ in His place as Head of the Church.
LESSON OUTLINE:
I. The Divine Revelation (Matthew 16:13-20)
II. The Human Misunderstanding (Matthew 16:21-23)III. The Challenge to Follow (Matthew 16:24-27)
May 22, 2024: Choose Only the Best
Read Luke 10:38-42.
“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (v. 42).
Life is filled with details that claim our time and exhaust our energy. At the end of the day, we sag in our recliner with a sigh, having had life dictated to us by the trivia of multiplied moments. In our lesson, Martha busied herself with things that mattered to her and assumed those concerns to be those of Jesus. So she hastily prepared lunch. Her actions were not sinful, but rather, were very well intended. But Jesus said that Mary, who sat at his feet, enjoying his presence and listening to his words, had chosen the “best” part.
Some things have eternal dimensions, while other things are time-locked. Perhaps today, you will meet the challenge of distinguishing between the two. Imagine Jesus sitting in your house, looking over your shoulder, and evaluating your value judgments. Would he say that, like Mary, you have chosen “the best part,” or would He gently chide your well-intentioned efforts by suggesting that you are living life for the “now” rather than the “then?” Lunch won’t matter in heaven, but sitting at the feet of Jesus will. (William Snider)
Engage this roving, treacherous heart.
To fix on Mary’s better part,
To scorn the trifles of the day
For joys that none can take away.
--- Philip Doddridge
“Things which matter most
must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”
--- Johann Wolfgant von Goeth
May 26, 2024: What Will YOU Do With Jesus?
FOCUS TEXT: Mark 15:1-15
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: Isaiah 55:1-7; Matthew 27:16-26; Luke 23:13-25
DEVOTIONAL READING: Joshua 24:14-18
KEY VERSE: What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? (Matthew 27:22).
CENTRAL TRUTH: We bear the responsibility for choosing who Christ will be to us.
OBJECTIVE: By the end of this lesson my students should have each one decided personally to make Christ the Lord of his life.
LESSON OUTLINE:
I. The Leaders Consult (Mark 15:1-5)
II. The People Choose (Mark 15:6-11)
III. The Savior Is Condemned (Mark 15:12-15)
May 16, 2024: Christ States His Authority
Read Matthew 28:8 – 18.
“And Jesus answered and spake unto them, saying, ‘All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth’” (v. 18).
No one in the universe can make the above statement except God Himself, and in this case, the blessed Son of God, Jesus. But when Jesus makes the declaration, write it down, make a note of it, for it is truth.
Especially in the political world, many talking heads proclaim their power, influence, wealth, wisdom, and authority. They all must fall silent before the throne of our exalted Christ, Who only has ultimate authority. Pilate thought he had the power of life and death, but Jesus told him he would have no control if he did not receive it from above. Pilate must find out that, in Jesus's name, every knee must bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord.
For anyone else to make the claim Jesus makes would mark that person as grievously absurd; for Jesus to claim all power creates anthems of praise in the minds and hearts of believers. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. (Leonard Sankey)
“Let all who name Christ’s holy name
give God all praise and glory;
Let all who own His power
proclaim aloud the wondrous story.”
--- Johann J. Schutz/Frances E. Cox