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Staying on Topic
Effective group discussions have a carefully chosen topic, and the teacher's role is to keep the discussion on target. The “God's Word for Today” feature of your quarterly is designed to suggest topics for your discussion. You as the teacher certainly can add others, or even develop a totally different set of questions. But conversations that are not guided are the ones most likely to get off the lesson topic. You can ask people to share how they feel about the topic; new information about the topic; concerns they have about the topic; or even personal experiences that directly relate to the topic. Again, limit the time, and feel free to ask the members to summarize how what they have said contributes to the topic. If it doesn't, the members will likely be less inclined to give stray thoughts in the future if they know they may be asked how what they have said contributes to the topic.
Membership in the Church
Lesson 4 - June 25, 2017
Focus Text: Acts 2:38-47; 4:32-35
Central Truth: The Christian lives out his faith in the community of believers.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify several purposes the church should seek to fulfill.
Lesson Outline:
- New Converts (Acts 2:38-41)
- The Fellowship of Believers (Acts 2:42-47)
- The Sharing of Possessions (Acts 4:32-35)
The Power of Unity – Video
https://youtu.be/dXia1MELO0M
What causes spiritual blindness?
In "Biblical Perspective" I.C. Holland writes concerning 1 Peter 2:8…
It is no wonder that sightless people stumble. Spiritual blindness is worse than physical. Witness the cases of Fanny Crosby and Helen Keller. The cause of stumbling in verse 8 is identified as being disobedient. Disobedience and unbelief are inseparable Siamese twins. Although there are professed members of the Church who are insincere and substandard, the cause of stumbling is not the fault of the church. It is identified in 2 Corinthians 4:4: “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.” The word appointed does not mean that they were foreordained to be lost, but that infinite justice forestated that “the soul that sinneth” shall die. Sinning is volitional. It is a choice.
Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 18.
The Living Stone
In "Biblical Perspective" I.C. Holland writes:
Jesus is that living stone! Though He was rejected by men, He was chosen and approved by the Father who said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17). The word for stone here is different from the title Jesus gave to Peter. There it was petros, a pebble or field stone. Here it is lithos, meaning a “worked” or shaped stone. The words living and lively indicate activity, growth, and progress, and stone represents permanency. The infantile state discussed in verse 2 has developed from “born” and “grow” to “tasting,” or experiencing, the grace of God in verse 3. Now in verse 4 coming shows further action that leads to built up in verse 5. At this point the figure changes to a spiritual house and holy priesthood, and in Ephesians 2:22 to “a habitation of God through the Spirit.” What a quantum leap! We become not only ministers of Christ, but ministers to Christ! Spiritual work is done by spiritual people.
Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 18.
Is Unity in the Church Possible?
In "God's Word for Today" David Woods writes:
There may be many reasons why local churches do not seek greater unity today. Some are paranoid that working together in the local church and with other like-minded churches in the area will result in everyone being deceived by a one-world false church. Others are so embittered against fellow Christians — in other nearby churches, or even within their local congregation — that they will not allow themselves or others to seek reconciliation and unity. Maybe an even greater difficulty is the inability of many to envision how unity might look in our post-modern context. How is it possible to achieve unity with churches around the world? How can we reconcile our doctrinal and traditional differences with other churches? The key to solving this dilemma may be to ask the question of how to experience greater unity locally instead of in a universal sense.
Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 19.