Meet the WRITERS SEPTEMBER: Polly Cooper Brown is a retired psychologist living in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. Polly is a widow and has one daughter and four grandchildren. She is a regular contributor to Mature Living magazine and is a member of Balboa Baptist Church. Polly is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University, the University of Central Arkansas, and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. OCTOBER: Tom Hudson and his wife, Olive, live in Hermitage, Tennessee, and are members of Tulip Grove Baptist Church where Tom serves on the senior ministries planning committee. Tom and Olive have three sons and three grandchildren. For 30 years, Tom served as a pastor before joining LifeWay to help produce adult Sunday School materials. Now retired, Tom graduated from Mississippi College, Southwestern Seminary, and New Orleans Seminary. NOVEMBER: David Jenkins is a retired pastor and freelance writer living in Gilmer, Texas. He and his wife, Melba, are members of New Hope Baptist Church in Big Sandy, Texas, and they have two children and seven grandchildren. David graduated from East Texas Baptist University and received a clinical pastoral education certification from Rusk State Hospital in Rusk, Texas. He also attended New Orleans Seminary. PRODUCTION & MINISTRY TEAM JEFFREY HOLDER Content Editor DANIEL DAVIS Production Editor NICOLE CHILDRESS Graphic Designer BRENT BRUCE Graphic Design Specialist ALAN RAUGHTON Lead Adult Ministry Specialist DAVID APPLE Adult Ministry Specialist CHRISTINA ZIMMERMAN Editorial Project Leader Send questions/comments to: Content Editor Life Ventures Learner Guide One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN 37234-0175; or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com. MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL Bret Robbe, Director, Leadership and Adult Publishing Ken Braddy, Ron Keck, Debbie Johnson Managing Directors, Leadership and Adult Publishing David Francis, Director, Sunday School Bill Craig, Director, Leadership and Adult Ministry Gary H. Hauk, Director, Publishing, LifeWay Church Resources Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
C O N T E N T S This periodical is designed for vocationally retired adults age 65 and up using the Bible Studies for Life series. We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. The 2000 statement of The Baptist Faith and Message is our doctrinal guideline. FEATURES 7 2 How to Become a Christian 3 Meet the Writers 6 Bible Studies for Life: Life Needs and Biblical Concepts 7 Work Up a Soul Sweat 56 Blessings of Mentoring 115 Ventures Discovery 163 Coming Next Quarter LESSONS 10 10 STUDY THEME: Balanced Spiritual Growth 12 September 4 Connect ( Psalm 133; 1 Corinthians 12:12-18, 21-26) 23 September 11 Grow ( 2 Timothy 3) 34 September 18 Serve ( Romans 12:3-15) 45 September 25 Go ( John 1:29,35-46,49-51) These symbols designate interactive items for your response. You may want to use a separate notebook journal to register your responses.
FALL 2011 V O L. 6, N O. 1 58 STUDY THEME: It s a Miracle! 60 October 2 Glory Revealed ( John 1:14,18; 2:1-11 ) 71 October 9 Forgiveness Offered ( Luke 5:17-26,29-32) 82 October 16 Hope Discovered ( Luke 7:1-17) 93 October 23 Wholeness Restored (Mark 5:1-3,6-13a,15-20) 104 October 30 Satisfaction Found [Evangelism Lesson] ( John 6:5-13,35-40) 58 116 STUDY THEME: Make Your Life Count 118 November 6 Accept the Call (Exodus 3:1-6,10-15; 4:10-12) 129 November 13 Stand for the Lord (Exodus 32:7-20,25-26) 140 November 20 Respond to Difficult Situations (N umbers 20:1-13; Psalm 106:32-33) 151 November 27 Adopt the Right Perspective ( Deuteronomy 32:1-9,36-39,43) [ Want to keep up with what your grandchildren and greatgrandchildren are learning in Sunday School? Sign up for KISS Connections (Kids In Sunday School), a FREE weekly e-mail that provides the main teaching points for the lesson, links to the Scriptures, and conversation starters for every LifeWay curriculum for children and teenagers. Simply e-mail James Jackson at james.jackson@lifeway.com and request to be placed on the KISS Connections subscription list. [ 116 Life Ventures Learner Guide (ISSN 1557-4776; Item 005075046) is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President. 2011 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. For ordering or inquiries, visit www.lifeway.com, or write LifeWay Church Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions or subscription address changes, e-mail subscribe@ lifeway.com, fax (615) 251-5818, or write to the above address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, e-mail orderentry@lifeway.com, fax (615) 251-5933, or write to the above address. Printed in the United States of America. Photo Credits: Cover Photo: ISTOCK PHOTO
Learning and Living the Bible Lesson August 29 September 4 Monday: Read the lesson introduction (pp. 13-14) and the background passages. Evaluate this statement: Senior adults are more isolated than they have been in the past. Do you agree? Disagree? Why? What role does the church play in addressing this issue? Tuesday: Study Community Is Vital (pp. 14-17). Why should there be no lone ranger Christians? How does experiencing community in your church affect your spiritual growth? Why can it be said that diversity can enhance unity in the church? Wednesday: Study Community Cares for Its Own (pp. 17-20). What gifts do we tend to honor more than others? What did Paul say about the value of each gift? In what ways do you see God s gifts being used as church members care for one another? Thursday: Study Community Leads to the Lord s Blessing (pp. 20-21). Instead of David s examples of anointing oil and fresh dew, what would you use to illustrate God s blessings on His people who live in godly community with one another? Friday: Read Reflection (pp. 21-22). Read Ephesians 4:4-7. How does this passage support what you have learned from this lesson? Are there any differences? Explain. Read the biblical truths. How would you summarize the impact of these truths? Saturday: Review the lesson, the focal passages, and the notes you have made as you have studied this week. Has God emphasized to you one thing more than another in the lesson? If so, consider sharing with your class what God has shown you. Sunday: If possible, join your class for Bible study. Enjoy the spirit of community with other believers. Become aware of ways you can better connect with those in your group to create even greater unity. Thank God for your fellow church members. 12 Life Ventures
W E E K O F S E P T E M B E R 4 Connect BACKGROUND PASSAGES Psalm 133; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 FOCAL PASSAGES Psalm 133; 1 Corinthians 12:12-18, 21-26 WHAT THIS LESSON IS ABOUT This lesson highlights the priority of community among believers as revealed in the Bible. Community produces blessing, provides care, and is created by God. HOW THIS LESSON CAN IMPACT YOUR LIFE Value authentic Christian community and make it a priority in your life. ISTOCK PHOTO I m about to move for the third time in the last seven years. Not exactly what I had planned for my retirement! Each move involves finding my place in a new community. It s not always easy, but it s always vital to my sense of well-being. As I thought about this, I rediscovered what I knew already: My church is the centerpiece for connecting in a new community. Week of September 4 13
Volunteer activities and classes I ve taken have helped me make other connections, and those contacts bring me pleasure. But when I think of persons who are a real blessing to me and to whom I would turn for support, I think of my fellow church members. That s God s community, and I m a part of it! Connecting with a community of believers must be a part of our plan for spiritual growth. This lesson will help us consciously value authentic Christian community and make it a priority in our lives. Community Is Vital KJV 1 Corinthians 12:12-18 HCSB 12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 18 But now hath God set the members everyone of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 12 For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 So the body is not one part but many. 15 If the foot should say, Because I m not a hand, I don t belong to the body, in spite of this it still belongs to the body. 16 And if the ear should say, Because I m not an eye, I don t belong to the body, in spite of this it still belongs to the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed each one of the parts in one body just as He wanted. 14 Life Ventures
Why is an authentic Christian community absolutely necessary? Because just as the body is made up of many parts, the church (the body of Christ) is made up of many parts. And when a part of the community is missing, the church is not whole. Does that sound like someone talking in circles? Paul explained it to the Corinthians by using an analogy. He said the body of Christ (the church) is like the human body. It has many parts, but it is one. That makes sense, doesn t it? It s easy to see that one s body has many parts, yet it is one. Now think of believers who make up the church. Paul emphasized that we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body (v. 13). Each of us has a role to play as part of that one body. None of us is exactly alike. We are old and young, from different backgrounds, and have different skills, talents, and experiences. All of those differences do matter and don t matter at the same time. Our differences do matter because God has placed each of us in our churches just as He wanted (v. 18), and all that we are can be used of God to build up His church. Our differences don t matter because in Christ all our differences that used to be barriers between us (race, class, education, etc.) have been swept away. By the work of the Spirit, we have all become a part of the body of Christ and are necessary to its functioning as God desires. Think It Through Reread verses 12-14. Underline the words one and many. What other examples of many parts making up one whole can you think of? Write a brief paragraph explaining why the parts are necessary to the whole in the body of Christ, the church. Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthian believers to provide guidance about some problems in the church. One of the points of contention concerned the exercise of spiritual gifts. Selfishness, disunity, and disorder had developed over the matter of spiritual gifts. Paul dealt with the problem by helping the Corin- Week of September 4 15
thians understand the nature and purpose of spiritual gifts. All gifts are needed for the well-being of the church. Furthermore, spiritual gifts are to be used to promote the glory of God and the good of others instead of self-satisfaction. 1 Paul became very specific, and some would say rather sharp, by saying, If the foot should say, Because I m not a hand, I don t belong to the body, in spite of this it still belongs to the body (v. 15). He continued with other comments that indicated how foolish it would be for one part of the body to decide it would not perform its function because it was not some other part. The point is that we are all necessary for the body of Christ to function as He intends. None us should try to be a lone ranger Christian. All believers need to participate in the life of the church. We must be a part of the community, which is the body of Christ. We must function as God has gifted us to function in that community. It is vital to the church, and it is vital to our own spiritual growth. What About Me? How are the contributions of senior Christians vital to your church? List some ways your church community is vital to your spiritual well-being. Spend a moment in prayer. Thank God for your church. Pray for strength and the will to stay connected for your own sake and the sake of your fellow believers who need you too. Being in community with other believers does not mean that we will always agree. What it does mean is that we must learn to handle disagreement with grace and maturity. This is one area where older believers can offer much. We have a lot of experience to draw upon and hopefully much wisdom gained from that 16 Life Ventures
experience. We who have been around the block a few times can help younger members understand that diverse gifts and diverse opinions can actually enhance church unity instead of disrupting it. Learning to express and accept diversity under the lordship of Christ and the authority of Scripture makes for a healthy church. Community Cares for Its Own KJV 1 Corinthians 12:21-26 HCSB 21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked: 25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. 21 So the eye cannot say to the hand, I don t need you! Or again, the head can t say to the feet, I don t need you! 22 But even more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those parts of the body that we think to be less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unpresentable parts have a better presentation. 24 But our presentable parts have no need of clothing. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, 25 so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. 26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Paul continued using the analogy of the body as he pointed out the mutual dependence of members in the body of Christ. A believer with a seemingly greater gift should not imagine that Week of September 4 17
he could function without the other members of the church. If an arm or leg is removed from the body, it no longer functions. It ceases to exist as an arm or leg. Similarly, members of the body of Christ must function within the body to be viable. Paul then shifted attention to that member of the body of Christ who appeared to have a lesser gift. Continuing to use the analogy of the body, he said, even more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary, and, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable (vv. 22,24). (See Digging Deeper below.) What About Me? What is God saying to you about a temptation you may have to think of your spiritual gift as less valuable or more valuable than the gift of a fellow church member? This discussion of greater and lesser gifts within the body of believers ultimately culminated in the explanation that God has put the church together: so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern D I G G I N G D E E P E R weaker (1 Cor. 12:22; more feeble, KJV) The Greek word rendered weaker has the literal sense of frailty in the human body. In the phrase those parts of the body that seem to be weaker, the word refers euphemistically to the more delicate, vital internal organs or possibly the external body parts we tend to cover for modesty s sake. Paul notes that the weaker parts of the body receive special treatment, such as being protected inside the body or being clothed for modesty. While the body can function without hands, feet, and eyes, it cannot function without the weaker parts, for they are essential to the body s survival. By analogy, believers with deceptively ordinary and unimpressive gifts are vitally necessary for the survival and functioning of the believers community. Not only is it impossible for any one Christian to experience community without other believers, but even those believer parts who seem to be weaker and offer little are indispensable. 18 Life Ventures
for each other (v. 25). Therein lies one of the essential factors in God s plan for His community of believers: they will care for their own. In fact, this caring is so deep that when one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it (v. 26). Think It Through How is spiritual growth related to having the correct view of spiritual gifts within the body of believers? How does experiencing the kind of caring Paul described affect the spiritual growth of a believer? When we talk about caring for each other within our church community, most of us think about helping someone who is sick or taking food when there is a death in the family. I m reminded of an incident of caring believers in my former church. A widow with no available family was treated for cancer and became very weak. When she left the hospital, women in my church took turns staying with her in her home until she was strong enough to stay alone. Service like that is valuable caring for our own. I wonder if there aren t other ways of caring for our own that are equally valuable though perhaps less noticeable. I have experienced the caring concern of fellow believers in crisis times and recognize the support it gave me. But I have also experienced the caring of fellow believers when there wasn t a crisis. I feel cared for when I m included in a backyard cookout. I feel cared for when a fellow member notices that I wasn t in my usual place on Sunday. I feel cared for when someone calls to say they heard it was my birthday. While times of crisis certainly call for a caring response, everyday opportunities for caring for our own are available too. Perhaps we should consider another aspect of caring for our own. Are you good at receiving care from fellow believers? I Week of September 4 19
think I m better at giving it than I am at receiving it. I don t like to need help from someone! Do you? Yet as a part of the body of Christ, I need to graciously receive from others as I allow them to care for me. That s also a part of experiencing community. What About Me? In what ways do giving care to and receiving care from other believers affect your spiritual growth? Community Leads to the Lord s Blessing KJV Psalm 133 HCSB 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. 1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! 2 It is like fine oil on the head, running down on the beard, running down Aaron s beard onto his robes. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord has appointed the blessing life forevermore. In this psalm, used particularly as the people made their ascent to Jerusalem for special times of worship, King David described the wonderful blessings of God s people living in unity and community, How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! (v. 1). Then David compared God s abundant blessings of community to anointing with fine oil and the refreshing dew of Hermon (vv. 2,3). Aaron had been consecrated as the first high priest by the anointing of oil that was so lavish it ran down his beard and 20 Life Ventures
his robes. It was a picture of God s grace and blessing being poured out upon His people. When Christians live under the lordship of Christ in authentic community, God s lavish blessings are poured out upon them. In verse 3, the mention of two mountains, Hermon in the north and Zion in the south, is significant. Hermon, the higher of the two, and Zion are connected in a way that again pictures the blessings of community coming from God, like the refreshing dew of Hermon coming down upon the smaller and more arid mountains of Zion in the south. The dew of Hermon was heavy; it symbolized what was freshening and invigorating. 2 The Lord s blessings on His people who live together in harmonious community are equally invigorating and complete, a mere foretaste of the blessed unity and peace believers will experience in heaven life forevermore. What About Me? What blessings have come to you from belonging to a community of believers for many years? Pause for a moment to thank the Lord for the blessings He has lavished on you through His church. Reflection: Have you thought of your own experience of community with other believers as you have studied this lesson? Have you considered the blessings it has brought to you through the years? Have you considered how vital it has been to your spiritual growth? Perhaps you are ready to recognize the value of authentic community and to make it an even greater priority Biblical Illustrator Mount Hermon is 9,100 feet high and can be seen from the Dead Sea, 120 miles to the south. Week of September 4 21
in your life. Consider these biblical truths as you think through connecting to your community of believers. 1. All believers are important and needed in the church. 2. The church needs the gifts of every member to function effectively as a whole. 3. Unity in the body of Christ (the church) should be intentionally sought. 4. Community in the church results in caring concern that is demonstrated by empathy and actions. 5. Unity in the church based on brotherly love pleases God and results in joyful blessings. 1. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, eds., The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983), 532. 2. Ibid., 888. Speak Your servant is listening. 1 Samuel 3:10 Prayerfully consider what God is saying to you through this lesson, and write it here. APPLYING THE WORD Identify a fellow believer who seems to be more isolated than others, and reach out to that person. If you feel isolated, decide to go more often where other believers gather. Take a step this week toward making authentic Christian community a priority in your life. 22 Life Ventures