Have you met someone who you thought was, "All talk and no action?" Or as they say in Texas, "All hat and no cattle?" No doubt we have all met people like that. The challenge in our Christian walk is to not be that person. We want to engage the culture for Christ and not just talk about it. Consider your current situation. Hopefully you are part of the discussion during the Bible study time on Sabbath. You attend church and listen to sermons that bring the challenges of Christian living to your mind. But after all that talk do you actually do something to advance the Kingdom of God? Our series of Bible studies in the coming quarter are on how we move from talking to acting. Let's jump into our study of the Bible to begin our journey to action!...
What are God's expectations for us? Is it to simply believe that Jesus is God and that He came to save us? Or is it more complicated than that? Does it involve us joining God in His mission to save humans? Let's dive into our study of the Bible and learn about our mission!...
How many times have you joined an "organizational meeting" to receive instructions on how to accomplish some goal? On a smaller scale, how often have you sat down and contemplated how you should best do something new? This used to be a source of minor disagreement between my brother and me when we worked on construction together. (He was the boss.) He would say to the men, "Let's get these materials over there." I would respond, "Wait a minute, let's figure out how to most efficiently and easily do this." Some tasks don't take a lot of thinking, but for the one we study today we need to take direction from God. Let's dive into our study of the Bible!...
The past lessons in this series discuss the Holy Spirit working with us to accomplish God's mission on earth. Have you considered God working in human form with you? Have you thought about angels who look like humans standing by your side? That happened to Abraham! This week we study an extended story about God and angels coming to earth in human form and rewarding Abraham by blessing him and protecting his family. We also explode some current myths. Let's plunge into his amazing story about mission work with God in human form!...
One of the strongest arguments for believing the Bible is the way it describes its heroes. My experience as a lawyer is that people (including me) like to tell a story in a way that makes the storyteller look good. With time we might even forget the uncomfortable details. The story of Jonah is filled with details that make him look bad. And not just bad, he looks like a terrible human being! The goal of our study is to put away excuses to avoid engaging in our mission. A problem with using Jonah as our teaching subject is that we don't want to believe that we are that bad. As we plunge into our study of the Bible, consider why God used a flawed man to reach even worse people!...
What motivates you to share the gospel? I used to cross-examine myself about my motives for teaching and preaching. Did I like to be the one standing in front? Did I like people telling me I did a great job? Yes, that motivated me. At the same time, I loved it when someone would tell me that they came closer to God because of something I taught. If we honestly look at the message of the Bible, we see that God appeals to our self-interest. Paying tithe results in more money (Malachi 3:10-12). Heaven is filled with gold and precious gems (Revelation 21:18). Until the moment Jesus left the disciples to return to heaven, they thought they would be earthly rulers (Acts 1:6). God understands our love of self, but wants us to mature into a motivation of love for others (Mark 12:31). Let's plunge into our study of the Bible and consider our motivation and preparation for our gospel work!...
Jesus famously taught in Luke 10:27 to love your "neighbor as yourself." This view, often referred to as the "Golden Rule," is shared by many religions. Following this basic rule is not simple. It takes thought. Assume a homeless person asks you for money. On a superficial level you could decide that if your roles were reversed you would want to receive money. If you look deeper, if you were homeless because you were on drugs or were lazy, would you want to stay in that situation? I would not. In that situation withholding money and thereby helping to force a change might be the best thing possible for that person - which is what you would want for yourself. Let's plunge into our Bible to see what Jesus teaches us about the answer to this question!...
Are you able to distinguish between a needy person and a grifter? Who to help has never been easy for me. Today, the United States seems upside down on the classic issues raised in the Bible. James 2:15 refers to helping someone who needs clothes and food. In the U.S. rich people are thin, not poor people. People who have lots of money dress like they are poor. Of course these are generalities, but they reflect a change from when I was young. How do we apply the eternal Biblical principles today? Let's dive into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
Have you ever converted a very high status person to belief in Jesus? The Old Testament has many warnings not to cheat or abuse the poor, and to help them when they are in need. For some reason I think that causes Christians to focus on soul-winning for those who have little power. That makes absolutely no sense from either a practical or Biblical (Leviticus 19:15) point of view. If you had a computing company, would you want to gather low power calculators or the highest power computers? While every soul has equal worth before God, powerful people have a sphere of influence that a poor person would have great difficulty matching. Let's jump into our study of the Bible and look at how God has used powerful people to advance His work!...
Are you "provoked" by the sinful attitudes of others? Acts 17:16 tells us that Paul's spirit was "provoked" by a "city full of idols." Historically, an idol is something that you rely upon to give you special favors, help you with problems, or defend you from enemies. What would that be in our modern world? How about the government? What about religious beliefs that are not based on Jesus? What about philosophies of life that some rely on to live? If we have a heart for those who are missing the joy of belief in Jesus, what is the best way to give them the good news of the gospel? Let's plunge into our study of the Bible and see what we can learn!...
Do you agree with the views of your friends? If you did not, would they be your friends? We are all influenced by our culture, our friends, and what we read and watch. Just because something is popular (or unpopular) does not mean that we should adopt or avoid it. Instead, we must always use the Bible and the direction of the Holy Spirit as our guide. Consider our prior study of Jonah. He was a nationalist, and popular with his people. That is the direction in which God led him. But then God led him in a direction that was more controversial and more dangerous. Jonah had difficulty with that. Let's dive into the Bible and consider how we need to be careful about listening to our friends and the culture as we share the gospel with others!...
Do you have to be careful about what you say regarding your religious beliefs? A few years ago, when the lessons involved a comparison of Islam and Christianity, one of my translators told me that she must be cautious about what she wrote about Islam. Apparently, what I wrote in the lesson was questionable! Having lived in the United States all my life, and being a lawyer defending the free speech of other Americans, I reject the idea of compromising my right to share the gospel. Not everyone reading this lesson has this same freedom. Even in America the right to religious free speech is currently under attack. Elite universities no longer protect free speech, and parts of the federal government have been actively working to suppress speech. We need to learn what the Bible teaches us about sharing our faith in a hostile culture. Let's start now!...
Are you glad to come to the end of a task? My students feel joy when final exams are over. They feel joy when they finish law school and obtain their law degree. Even small tasks provide a feeling of accomplishment when they are done. Imagine being done with sin, sadness, and the struggles we face on earth. Even if your life seems good, it does not compare to eternal life in the earth made new. Let's turn again to our Bibles and explore the end of our mission here on earth!...
