Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, April 26, 2025.

Main Theme: God is establishing His own people right here on earth, who will stand out from all other nations.

Read in Class: Genesis 12:1-10. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: This is where the Bible introduces a number of key political players found throughout the rest of the Bible, including Nineveh and Babylon. Given what we know about the roles of those cities later on, what can we deduce from these texts?

Apply: Why is the sin of rebellion against God more subtle than we might readily realize? How can we protect ourselves against this very human trait?

Share: Your friend says, “Even Christians are just a product of their ancestors and culture. How do we know if we are really born-again Christians following the Spirit, or just following our family’s and culture’s customs in the name of Christianity?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Genesis 12:1-9. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: Why did God call Abram (later Abraham) out from his country of origin?

Apply: Read Deuteronomy 4:5-9. What was the Lord telling the children of Abraham, the nation that had become a fulfillment of the promise God had made to Abraham?

Share: Your friend says that what makes Christians different is not only what they believe but also how they behave and treat others. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: 1 Samuel 8:4-18. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: Why do you suppose the elders found the idea of a king appealing? In what ways do we fall prey to similar temptations?

Apply: Back then, or even today, all human governments share one thing in common: sinners governing other sinners. What possibly could go wrong?

Share: Your friend says we do not need church leaders today. We should just be following Jesus. After all, Israel’s problem was that they wanted a human leader instead of God leading them. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Matthew 20:25-28. Ask the class to share the main idea of this passage

Study: What error did Jesus warn His disciples to avoid in establishing the work of the Christian church?

Apply: In your own culture, your own society, what are the ways in which these same temptations can jeopardize the integrity of our faith?

Share: Read Revelation 18:1-4. In light of Matthew 20:25-28, how might the church people are called to join be different than the church they are in now, besides a different day of worship and beliefs on the state of the dead, etc.? Do we have more to share than just doctrine? What about a different way of how the church operates?