Here we are at the beginning of another year! This lesson is a break from our James study, though the topic flows directly from our discussion from the first two verses in James 4, and we will actually land right back in James 4 for our conclusion. God had given me this topic back in October for our annual New Year’s lesson, and I had been thinking about it since late 2015.
Lately there has been a lot of talk about “casual Christianity” in church and among our leadership. The more I think about it, the more concerned I am that I and many others are practically living exactly that type of Christian walk, and aren’t even aware of it.
It is because of that possibility that this study compares Jesus’ “greatest commandment” and our lives to see if we are living up to His expectation of us – and our commitment to Him.
This (rather lengthy) series grew out of the previous study on the Shemitah and Blood Moon Tetrad. During one of our discussion times in class, one of the members asked, “If this stuff is possibly true, what should we do about it? How should we prepare?” And that question of how we could be ready for the possible return of Christ drove us to the Scripture to answer that question. There are five overarching questions that came out of trying to discover how to be ready.
What are the signs of the end?
How to be ready?
What do you do when told to deny Christ?
Should we be preppers?
What should we do if our government tells us we can’t obey God?
Here are the (again, rather lengthy – 25 pages!) notes from the study, but be warned that even as lengthy as they are, there are many important things that do not come out clearly in the notes, but are clear in the audio recordings. So, please listen to them if you can. Especially if you’re trying to deal seriously with any of these very timely questions.
Also, as quickly becomes clear in the audio recordings, you will understand many of the references much better if you join us and read the book, Killing Christians, by Tom Doyle. This lesson series is in no way a book study, but that book certainly illuminates many of the topics we discuss and provides relevant background examples, and is otherwise a fantastic book every Christ-follower should read.
Further, the book, Do Love, by Andrew Rankin provides great background for the practical application of how we should be living in the light of the Scriptures we study here.
For most children, their father will be one of the two greatest influences in their entire lives. Whether that influence is positive or maximized depends upon choices the father makes.
This lesson looks at the impact a father can have on his children by having a great lifelong influence.
(Yes, the lesson had at least two more sections I was planning to add, but decided to go to another topic before finishing it.)
This study came as a follow-on to the study in Colossians that ended in love, and then Jesus’ instruction in John 13. Though we cannot attempt to recreate the setting of the early church, we can at least look at them and learn from their example as a group of new Christians responding without precedent to the Holy Spirit’s direction. Acts 2 describes their characteristics and then shows the results of their behavior. Wow!
This study was a natural f0llow-on to the study in Colossians that ended in the focus on love for one another. Jesus said that non-Christians would know we are a follower of Jesus by our love for one another. How do you really love one another?
Depending on your setting and schedule, this may or may not take more than one week to finish.
This is a refresh of a study we did a number of years ago, timed for the tax deadline in the US. It is made up of a number of diagnostic questions, most of which are not matters of sin, but could indicate that something is out of line in the area of finance, and that one may not be experiencing God’s best for their lives. The central theme is one of trust in God.
This may just be another of the many lessons that I needed to hear. This lesson is an update to the 2005 lesson Time, with additional Scripture references and content on the handout section and a new section with teaching notes.
As I revealed in the previous lesson, I realized that while knowing your spiritual gifts, and even understanding His purpose for you, are both important steps in finding God’s direction and will for your life, having an ultimate life goal will dictate your priorities and activities to make you more focused and effective in your Christian life. This lesson illustrates that truth with numerous examples from some great individuals from the Bible: Paul, Moses, Hannah, and Jesus.
This single-week lesson was given as a New Year’s 2013 challenge to define what is your life vision. It will be a foundation for a few other lessons in the next weeks.
Be the First to Comment