Questions About God

 Teachers know that questions provide teachable moments. Thus wise teachers ask questions of their pupils, and they eagerly take advantage of opportunities when pupils ask questions.

 The Bible is filled with questions. God asked questions, and people asked question. Sometimes they asked God Himself and sometimes they asked others. Moses asked God to tell him His name, and God revealed His personal name (Exodus 3:13-14). Habakkuk asked God why He allowed evil people to get by with their sins, and God revealed some off His ways (Habakkuk 1:2). Jesus asked the disciples, "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" Their answer set up the next crucial question, "But whom say ye that I am?" (Matthew 16:13,15). The living Lord asked Saul of Tarsus, "Why persecutest thou me?" Saul then asked, "Who art thou, Lord?" and the answer led him tot ask a second question, "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:7-10). The answers changed Saul's life and the course of Christianity.

 

 Today's adults and their families are living in spiritually confusing times. Interest in spiritual things is high. Most people have more questions than answers. A wide variety of answer is being given, many of which are false and misleading. The fact that people are asking questions is a great opportunity to look to God's Word for answers. Only there will we find the real answers.

~StudyTheme

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The God Factor

 God is not a factor in the lives of many people, but people of faith live and move and have their being in God. The Lord was surely the key factor in David's life. Four incidents from David's life form the  biblical basis for this four-lesson study.
 The first lesson tells how God led Samuel to anoint a shepherd boy to be the next King of Israel. The lesson entitled "God Chooses and Equips" is  based on 1 Samuel 16:1-13. Samuel was told to go the house of Jesse in Bethlehem. Samuel was so impressed with the looks of the oldest son that the at first assumed that son was God's choice. God told Samuel that people look on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart.
 The second lesson, "God Empowers," is based on David's victory over Goliath as found in 1 Samuel 17. This familiar story has become in our culture a sign that ta brave and resourceful person can defeat seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The Bible, however, doesn't give David credit. God enabled him to defeat the giant.
 The third lesson, "God Values Human Life," is based on Psalm 139:13-16, a key passage on the value of human life, and verses from 2 Samuel 11-12 that describe David's sins, confession, and forgiveness. This lesson for the Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is applied to those who have failed to  respect and protect human life.
 The fourth lessons, "God Works in His Time," is based on 1 Samuel 26. David spared Saul's life. David showed patient forbearance by leaving Saul's fate and his own future in God's hands.

~StudyTheme

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Born To Save

Christmas is only a secular holiday for many people. It means time off from work: it consists of parties and presents. Those who see some religious meaning  in Christmas often restrict it to a baby in a manger scene. The two lessons in the study challenge us to look back before the manger to the preexistent Word of God and to look forward from the manger to the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Savior of the World.

 The first lesson. "What Child Is This?" includes the familiar story of Jesus birth in Lure 2:4-7, but it also focuses on the less familiar prophecies of Simeon and Anna in verses 27-38. Simeon predicted that a sword would pierce Mary's soul. This shows that the Child born to the virgin Mary was destined to die for the sins of the world.
 The second lesson, "Life in the Son," is based on the prologue to John's Gospel. John 1:1-18 reveals that the birth of Jesus was not the beginning of the Son of God. He is the Word of God who was in the beginning, who was with God, and who is God. What happened at Bethlehem was that the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt on earth during His lifetime.

 Thus when we view the Baby in the manger, we  need to look back to the eternal Word of God who became the God-man when He was born to the virgin Mary. And we need to look beyond the manger to the cross-and even beyond that. The manger is empty. The cross also is empty. The tomb is empty.
 God told Mary and Joseph to name the child Jesus, which means "Savior" (Matthew 1:21). The angel told the shepherds that Jesus was the Savior, Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). He was truly "Born to Save."


~StudyTheme



Photo Credit: SomeToThinkAbout

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Excellence In Giving

"Money, money, money. That's all they talk about at church!"
This complaint is sometimes heard after a sermon or Sunday School lesson on giving. The complaint often comes from people who attend only occasionally and happen to come during a financial stewardship emphasis in the church, A pastor or a Sunday School teacher cannot preach or teach the Bible without mentioning giving. The Old Testament says much about the right attitude toward possessions and calls for generosity in helping the needy and bringing tithes in worship. Jesus constantly taught about giving and warned against covetousness. The Book of Acts focuses on the sharing within the Jerusalem church and the gifts of the Antioch church to the Jerusalem church members. Many of the New Testament letters deal with possessions and generous giving.

The longest Bible passage on giving is 2 Corinthians 8-9. Paul was promoting an offering from the Gentile churches for the poor believers in Jerusalem. Although the word money is not found in these two chapters, they present most of the biblical principles about giving.

 The first lesson, "Why I Give," is based on selected verses from 2 Corinthians 8. The second lesson, "How I Give," is based on 2 Corinthians 9.

• demonstrate your commitment to God through giving (Dec.7)
• always honor God in your giving (Dec.14)

  This two lessons are especially appropriate for the Christmas season, when there is so much emphasis on giving and receiving.The lessons point to Christi's giving Himself (8:9) and to God's great gift in sending Him (9:15). Each warns against the dangers of a selfish, covetous attitude--an appropriate warning at this time of the year.
 Southern Baptists have a great opportunity at Christmas to give to the Lord by giving to the cause that was closest to His heart-taking the good news to all people. We do this through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for the International Missions.

~Study Theme


If you own this photo please contact me through my email davaochristianchurch@gmail.com

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Highway To Heaven

You won't find it on a map, but a highway to heaven does exist. "The Roman Road" is explained in the Book of Romans in the Bible, and it tells how to go to heaven.
 The Road Begins at Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth." God s the source for our journey to heaven. He gives power for salvation to all who believe.
 We need God's power because we have a problem with sin: "For All have sinned, and come short of the Glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "Sin" means missing the mark or missing God's intended destination for us. None of us can reach that destination on his or her own because everyone is a sinner.
 When we work, we earn money. Sin earns wages as well--Wages of death. Because God loves all sinners, He has provided another route: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

 The highway to heaven is found in Romans 10:9: "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." We need to confess our sin and ask God for forgiveness. To confess Jesus as Lord involves agreeing with God about your sin and your need for salvation. You must repent of your sin, turning away from the direction in life in which you are going. 
To "believe in your heart" is to place your faith in Jesus, trusting that He died on the cross to pay for your sins. "But God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

If you would like to have salvation in Jesus Christ, sincerely pray a prayer like this one "Dear God. I confess to you my sin and need for salvation. I turn away from my sin and place my faith in Jesus as my Savior and Lord. 
 Share your faith in Jesus with a Christian friend or pastor. Becoming Christian is your first step on the lifelong road of spiritual growth and service God desires for you. Follow Christ in believer's baptism by immersion and join a local church.



Cover: This bronze oil lamp from the 1st century A.D. was found om Nubia, Egypt, and presently is in the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. Symbolically the lamp reminds us that God's Word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105).


Photo Credit: Highway To Heaven

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