Vol. VI No. 1 Adult Bible Teacher Large-Print Edition WINTER QUARTER December 2017, January, February 2018 Daily Bible Readings... 2 Faith in Action UNIT I: Faith in Christ Dec. 3 Faith in Jesus Acts 3:11-21... 3 Dec. 10 Faith to Discern Acts 13:1-12... 9 Dec. 17 Faith to Persevere Acts 14:8-11, 19-23... 15 Dec. 24 Faithful Seekers of the King (Christmas) Matt. 2:1-12... 21 Dec. 31 Faith to Unite Eph. 4:1-16... 27 UNIT II: A Living Faith in God Jan. 7 A Sincere Faith Dan. 1:8-21... 33 Jan. 14 A Bold Faith Dan. 3:19-28... 39 Jan. 21 A Prayer for an Obedient Faith Dan. 9:4-8, 15-19... 45 Jan. 28 A Strong Faith Dan. 10:10-19... 51 UNIT III: Godly Faith Feb. 4 Faith Without Works Is Dead Jas. 2:14-26... 57 Feb. 11 A Disciplined Faith Jas. 3:1-12... 63 Feb. 18 Faithful Disciples Acts 9:36-43... 69 Feb. 25 The Good Fight of Faith I Tim. 6:11-21... 75 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: $3.35 per quarter* $13.40 per year* *shipping and handling extra ISBN 978-1-59843-563-4 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 44109-5812. Mailing address: P.O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio 44101-1059. www.uniongospelpress.com
Daily Bible Readings for Home Study and Worship (Readings are for the week previous to the lesson topics.) 1. December 3. Faith in Jesus M. Trust in the Lord. Ps. 118:1-9. T. The Lord My Strength and Salvation. Ps. 118:10-14. W. A Blessing Promised to All Peoples. Acts 3:22-26. T. Your Faith Has Saved You. Luke 7:44-50. F. Contrasting Responses. Acts 13:44-49. S. A Lame Beggar Healed. Acts 3:1-10. S. Repent and Believe in Jesus. Acts 3:11-21. 2. December 10. Faith to Discern M. The Call of Joshua. Deut. 31:14-15, 23; 34:9. T. The Call of Samuel. I Sam. 3:1-9. W. Test the Spirits. I John 4:1-6. T. A Blind Man s Discernment. John 9:13-17. F. Not Ashamed of the Gospel. Rom. 1:8-12, 16-17. S. An Open Door of Faith. Acts 14:21-28. S. Discerning the Spirit s Call. Acts 13:1-12. 3. December 17. Faith to Persevere M. Rejoicing in Our Sufferings. Col. 1:24 2:5. T. All People Called to Repent. Acts 17:22-33. W. The Privilege of Suffering. Phil. 1:27-30. T. A Good Soldier of Jesus. II Tim. 2:1-10. F. Comfort in Tribulation. II Cor. 1:3-11. S. Speaking Boldly, Forced to Flee. Acts 14:1-7. S. Boldness Against Opposition. Acts 14:8-11, 19-23. 4. December 24. Faithful Seekers of the King (Christmas) M. Moses Saved from Pharaoh s Edict. Exod. 1:22 2:10. T. A Light to the Nations. Isa. 42:1-9. W. A Ruler from Bethlehem. Mic. 5:1-5. T. God s Assurance to Joseph. Matt. 1:18-25. F. Warned by an Angel. Matt. 2:13-18. S. Directed to Nazareth. Matt. 2:19-23. S. Worship of the Wise Men. Matt. 2:1-12. 5. December 31. Faith to Unite M. Put On the New Man. Eph. 4:17-24. T. Live as Imitators of God. Eph. 4:25 5:2. W. Risen with Christ. Col. 3:1-11. T. One Body, Many Members. I Cor. 12:27-31. F. Honor for the Weaker Members. I Cor. 12:12-13, 22-26. S. Be of One Mind. I Pet. 3:8-12. S. The Unity of the Spirit. Eph. 4:1-16. 6. January 7. A Sincere Faith M. In God I Put My Trust. Ps. 56:1-13. T. Faith in the True God. I Kings 18:30-39. W. Faithful Living in Exile. Jer. 29:4-9. T. Let Your Light Shine. Matt. 5:13-16. F. Be Faithful unto Death. Rev. 2:8-11. S. A Test of Loyalty. Dan. 1:3-7. S. Take Your Stand on the Truth. Dan. 1:8-21. 7. January 14. A Bold Faith M. Speaking Out for Jesus. Acts 4:13-22. T. Obeying God Before Man. Acts 5:27-32. W. If I Perish, I Perish. Esther 4:5-17. T. Faith amid Severe Trial. Job 13:6-16. F. Ordered to Commit Idolatry. Dan. 3:1-12. S. Refusal to Serve Idols. Dan. 3:13-18. S. Deliverance from the Fire. Dan. 3:19-28. 8. January 21. A Prayer for an Obedient Faith M. A Plea for Mercy. Neh. 1:4-11. T. The Desolation of Disobedience. Jer. 25:8-14. W. A Call to Repentance. Joel 1:13-20. T. Daniel s Prayer and Supplication. Dan. 9:1-3. F. Confession for Israel s Sins. Dan. 9:9-14. S. Receiving Answers. Dan. 9:20-24. S. A Model Prayer of Confession. Dan. 9:4-8, 15-19. 9. January 28. A Strong Faith M. Reassurance for Jacob. Gen. 46:1-7. T. Encouragement for Joshua. Josh. 1:1-9. W. A Commission for Ezekiel. Ezek. 1:26 2:7. T. An Appeal for Help to Paul. Acts 16:6-10. F. A Vision Given to Daniel. Dan. 10:1-9. S. The Time of the End. Dan. 12:8-13. S. Be Strong and Courageous. Dan. 10:10-19. 10. February 4. Faith Without Works Is Dead M. Fulfilling the Law. Jas. 2:8-13. T. The Royal Law. Lev. 19:13-18. W. Teach Me to Do Your Will. Ps. 143:1-12. T. Justified by Faith. Rom. 3:21-31. F. Christ Lives in Me. Gal. 2:15-21. S. Receiving the Spirit Through Faith. Gal. 3:6-14. S. Faith Shown by Works. Jas. 2:14-26. 11. February 11. A Disciplined Faith M. Live by God s Word. Deut. 8:1-3. T. Set a Guard over My Mouth. Ps. 141:1-4. W. Judged by Your Words. Matt. 12:33-37. T. From the Heart the Mouth Speaks. Luke 6:43-45. F. Out of the Mouth of Babes. Matt. 21:14-16. S. Let Your Yes Be Yes. Matt. 5:33-37. S. Gaining Control of the Tongue. Jas. 3:1-12. 12. February 18. Faithful Disciples M. A Widow s Son Restored to Life. I Kings 17:17-24. T. A Widow s Son Raised by Jesus. Luke 7:11-17. W. Caring for Widows and Orphans. Jas. 1:22-27. T. Peter s Healing Ministry. Acts 5:12-16. F. Philip s Preaching Ministry. Acts 8:4-8. S. The Healing of Aeneas. Acts 9:32-35. S. A Disciple Full of Good Works. Acts 9:36-43. 13. February 25. The Good Fight of Faith M. A Young Disciple Named Timothy. Acts 16:1-5. T. Timothy, Faithful in the Lord. I Cor. 4:14-21. W. Epaphroditus, Paul s Coworker. Phil. 2:25-30. T. Timothy, Paul s Partner in the Gospel. I Thess. 3:1-10. F. The Sound Words of Christ. I Tim. 6:1-5. S. Godliness with Contentment. I Tim. 6:6-10. S. Paul s Charge to Timothy. I Tim. 6:11-21. 2
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. NOTES Adult Bible Teacher 3
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). Preparing to Teach the Lesson For the next thirteen weeks, we will examine biblical passages where faith is the primary focus. While many different definitions of faith have been put forward over the years, they can all be summarized as speaking of faith as a response to revelation. In a sense, every person lives by faith because everyone makes decisions (responses) based on what he believes or has been taught (revelation). TODAY S AIM Facts: to understand that Jesus is the Messiah. Principle: to know that salvation requires faith in the Messiah. Application: to realize that a positive response to the gospel requires its clear presentation and explanation. INTRODUCING THE LESSON Acts 3 records Peter and John entering the temple to pray. Their journey was interrupted when a lame man caught their attention. His plea for alms was not something the apostles could supply. However, Peter provided something money could not the man s health. After being touched, the 4 man jumped up, stood still a moment, and then strode into the temple with Peter and John, praising God. DEVELOPING THE LESSON 1. Peter s presentation (Acts 3:11-18). Peter was moved by the Holy Spirit to reveal what God had accomplished, and he began to speak. He used the restoration of the beggar to point to the source of the miracle. Peter immediately dismissed the thought that he or John was responsible for the healing. He explained that the miracle was accomplished through faith in the name of Jesus. Peter s sermon continued with the explanation that there is only One with the ability and purity to physically rebuild dead limbs. Peter caused the minds of the Jews to reflect on Jehovah and recognize His omnipotence and to connect Him to Jesus Christ. Peter unashamedly accused the Jews of denying the Holy One, the Just, and the Prince of Life. 2. Peter s proposal (Acts 3:19-21). The crowd had been found guilty based on their treatment of Christ. Peter could have condemned them, walked away, and shaken the dust off