Adult Bible Class. Large-Print Edition. Editorial... 2

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Adult Bible Class. Large-Print Edition. Editorial... 2"

Edward Holland
6 years ago
Views:

Vol. IX No. 1 Adult Bible Class Large-Print Edition WINTER QUARTER December 2017, January, February 2018 Editorial... 2 Faith in Action UNIT I: Faith in Christ Dec. 3 Faith in Jesus Acts 3:11-21.

2 Vol. IX No. 1 Adult Bible Class Large-Print Edition WINTER QUARTER December 2017, January, February 2018 Editorial... 2 Faith in Action UNIT I: Faith in Christ Dec. 3 Faith in Jesus Acts 3: Dec. 10 Faith to Discern Acts 13: Dec. 17 Faith to Persevere Acts 14:8-11, Dec. 24 Faithful Seekers of the King (Christmas) Matt. 2: Dec. 31 Faith to Unite Eph. 4: UNIT II: A Living Faith in God Jan. 7 A Sincere Faith Dan. 1: Jan. 14 A Bold Faith Dan. 3: Jan. 21 A Prayer for an Obedient Faith Dan. 9:4-8, Jan. 28 A Strong Faith Dan. 10: UNIT III: Godly Faith Feb. 4 Faith Without Works Is Dead Jas. 2: Feb. 11 A Disciplined Faith Jas. 3: Feb. 18 Faithful Disciples Acts 9: Feb. 25 The Good Fight of Faith I Tim. 6: Paragraphs on Places and People Daily Bible Readings Editor in Chief: Todd Williams Edited and published quarterly by THE INCORPORATED TRUSTEES OF THE GOSPEL WORKER SOCIETY UNION GOSPEL PRESS DIVISION Rev. W. B. Musselman, Founder Price: $3.25 per quarter* $13.00 per year* *shipping and handling extra ISBN Lessons based on International Sunday School Lessons; the International Bible Lessons for Christian Teaching, copyright 2014 by the Committee on the Uniform Series and used with permission. Edited and published quarterly by The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society, Union Gospel Press Division, 2000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, Ohio Mailing address: P.O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio

3 EDITORIAL Put Faith into Action STEVEN D. PYLE 2 Faith is a word that we may hear used in daily dialogue. Often the word is referring to allegiance to a duty or person: LOYALTY (Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary: Eleventh Edition). The faith in view this quarter is not that kind of faith. Nor is faith merely fidelity to a set of beliefs, as necessary as that is when the beliefs are founded on God s Word. The unit title uses three words to describe what we are going to look at: Faith in Action. Faith needs to be founded on trust in Jesus Christ. All of us are sinners and in ourselves have nothing to recommend us to God (Isa. 64:6; Rom. 3:23). We need to repent and be converted (Acts 3:19). All those who accept God s offer of grace in Jesus Christ have eternal life (Rom. 6:23). The exciting thing is that this life starts immediately upon trusting Jesus Christ as Saviour. At that point we are able to act in faith. In the Bible we see people who acted upon their faith. Noah did so and built an ark. He and his family survived a flood that killed all other humans. Noah s family and the animals on the ark were all that survived of life on the face of the earth. Abraham believed God would fulfill the promise He gave that Abraham would have descendants. To put action to his faith, Abraham was willing to sacrifice the son of promise Isaac. Moses obeyed God and in faith confronted Pharaoh. Moses and the Israelites left Egypt. The examples continue, with the greatest example of faith being the Son of God, who was obedient to the Father s will to the point of death on the cross. Salvation is provided to all who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom. 10:13). It is not enough to have the right beliefs or right words. The follower of God is to allow those beliefs to guide his actions. Daniel had a fervent faith in God, but it was not until he stepped out and refused to eat the king s food that the world around him saw the seriousness of Daniel s faith. His faith was put into action. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego demonstrated the reality of their faith when they refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar s golden image. Such actions of faith are not restricted to the time of Daniel and his friends. The martyrdom of Christians has occurred around the world, is occurring, and will occur. Many are marked for death by their actions. These believers choose not to melt into the shadows but to boldly proclaim that Jesus is Lord and Saviour. Everyone who is part of the body of Christ needs to pray for those who are daily proclaiming that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. Often Christians in Western countries think that praying for believers to be spared from persecution is the right

4 way to pray. The reality of what is happening around the world seems to point in a different direction, and being spared from persecution does not seem to be what the Bible points to as the way to pray for those who are being wronged. The Voice of the Martyrs gives guidance in how to pray for those brothers and sisters in Christ undergoing persecution. The closest thing to our usual prayer is pray for their physical protection and deliverance in the midst of persecution. Some of the requests are things like pray that God would give them the right words and that they would fearlessly make Christ known. Pray that they will endure, that they will rejoice in sharing the sufferings of Jesus, and that they will love Christ far more than life itself. Pray that they will love their enemies and that they will rejoice that they are considered worthy to suffer for HIS name (be-a-voice.net/prayerguides/prayerguide2008.pdf). Notice that the prayers that are given are not for the avoidance of conflict but for the strength to put faith into action. In addition to praying for the faithfulness of other believers, each believer needs to pray for his own faithfulness to perform the works God has laid before him. James records that a person does not have faith if he displays no works to back up his claim. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (2:26). Can we meet our world with the faithfulness that our persecuted brothers and sisters have displayed? One area that many of us have to work on is the taming of the tongue. The book of James says the tongue is unruly and that no man can tame it (3:8). That should be incentive for us to pray to God and lean on Him for wisdom in our words. All too often our actions are contrary to the faith we claim. Many of us need patience to wait before we speak. We need patience to listen to both pleasant and unpleasant words. Most people have no problem when hearing pleasant words. In this case our action needs to be a measured action. Our words (our actions) need to be in line with what we believe. It is not enough to know sound doctrine. The demons know sound doctrine (cf. Jas. 2:19). The point James is now driving home is that a Christian creed without corresponding Christian conduct will save neither devil nor man (Adamson, The Epistle of James, Eerdmans). Through the Apostle Paul, God has called believers to pursue a godly life, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Believers are to fight the good fight (I Tim. 6:12) for what they believe. Believers are to hold tightly to the eternal life that God has given them. Christians are not only to believe in what is right; they must also confess it and act upon it. Believers are to keep this commandment (vs. 14). They should want no one to find fault with their faith in God. Adult Bible Class 3

5 LESSON 1 DECEMBER 3, 2017 Scripture Lesson Text ACTS 3:11 And as the lame man which was healed held Pe ter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Sol o-mon s, greatly wondering. 12 And when Pe ter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Is ra-el, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? 13 The God of A bra-ham, and of I saac, and of Ja cob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Je sus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pi late, when he was determined to let him go. 14 But ye denied the Ho ly One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. 16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Je sus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. NOT ES 4

6 TIME: A.D. 30 Faith in Jesus Lesson: Acts 3:11-21 Read: Acts 3:1-26 PLACE: Jerusalem GOLDEN TEXT Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). Lesson Exposition Peter might be known for blurting out things that got him into trouble, but as he grew spiritually, he was also able to speak meaningfully in any situation that arose. During the days following Jesus ascension, he became the leading spokesman for the apostles. PREACHING JESUS Acts 3:11-16 The people s amazement (Acts 3:11). A new situation is recorded in Acts 3:1-10. It required an explanation from the apostles, and Peter rose to the occasion. A great miracle had just occurred. On their way to the temple to pray at three in the afternoon, Peter and John encountered a man who had been lame all his life. He was over forty years of age (cf. 4:22) and had to be carried to the temple every day. Beggars probably had a way of instinctively knowing who would respond to their pleas, so the man likely was not surprised when these men did respond. What did surprise him, however, was what they gave. They looked at him intently, telling him to look at them and thus expect something from them rather than look ahead to the next likely helper. Peter then took him by the hand and lifted him up. He was instantly and completely healed of his lameness. When the people in and around the temple saw this happening, they came running together in amazement, rushing together in a headlong fashion in order to gather around and see what was happening. The Greek wording that records their reaction suggests they were dumbfounded and stupefied. They were so totally amazed and astonished that their senses were incapable of comprehending the situation. Here was the preacher s opportunity! Emphasis on Israel s God (Acts 3:12-13). Peter began by asking the crowd why they were so amazed by what they saw and why their attention was directed to him and John. It is always the mark of a godly preacher to not draw attention to himself but rather to the God he represents. Peter did this immediately. He made it clear that he and John were merely instruments in the hand of God, accomplishing His work. What had been done was a reflection of the Lord, not His servants. It was not their power at work. Peter then pointed to God, referring to Him as the God of their fathers, Adult Bible Class 5

Bible Expositor and Illuminator Large-Print Edition

Vol. IX No. 1 Bible Expositor and Illuminator Large-Print Edition WINTER QUARTER December 2017, January, February 2018 Looking Ahead... 2 Editorials... 3 Faith in Action UNIT I: Faith in Christ Dec. 3