Category / Sabbath School Teaching Plans

by In Light Of The Cross

11: Mission to the Unreached-Part 2 Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, December 16, 2023.

Main Theme: If we humbly seek them, we can find people in the cities interested in the Gospel.

Read in Class: Matthew 9:35-38. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does this teach us about mission to the multitudes, wherever we find them?

Apply: How can we help people see just how futile, in and of themselves, “their magnificent palaces and marts of trade” are, and why they need Jesus?

Share: Your friend asks, “What are the needs of those in your community and how is your church meeting those needs? What are your challenges in reaching the unreached in your community?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Matthew 15:22-28 and Mark 7:24-30. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study:  What differences do you see in how the woman was depicted?

Apply: Read 1 John 2:2. How does this text tell us about how we are all the same before God? How does this shape our attitude towards the unreached?

Share: Your friend asks you why Jesus was so harsh with the woman? What do you tell your friend? Should we allow God to use figure of speech?

Read in Class: Acts 10:9-16, 28, 34-35. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How would you summarize the lesson taught here by the Holy Spirit?

Apply: Read Galatians 2:11-13. What should this teach us about how hard it can be to be purged of the prejudices we have been taught since childhood?

Share: Your friend asks, how do we reach out to people who hate us? Especially those who want to destroy us? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Matthew 8:10, 13, Matthew 9:2 and Mark 2:5. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: In these passages, whom does Jesus describe as having faith?

Challenge: Open your heart in prayer for a greater portion of faith with which to share your love for those near and far.

Challenge up: How did you come to know Jesus and the precious three angels’ messages? List three spiritual blessings that you have experienced from Jesus in your personal life.

by In Light Of The Cross

10:God’s Mission to the Unreached Part 1-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath school class, December 9, 2023.

Main Theme: Paul shows us how to reach people for Jesus.

Read in Class: Acts 17:10-16. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How did Paul wind up in Athens, and how did he respond to what he found there?

Apply: What kind of idols are people worshiping in your society, and how can you open their eyes to how worthless it all is?

Share: Your friend says that the Jews stirred up the crowd and made Paul leave Berea. In early Adventism a crowd was stirred up over opposition to the 1888 message forcing Ellen White to have to leave the United States. Your friend asks why God allows so much opposition? What do you tell your friend? What were the results of Paul leaving Berrea for Athens and Ellen White leaving the United States for Australia?

Read in Class: Acts 17:18-21. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What were some of the different ways that the pagans in the marketplace reacted to Paul’s speaking and ques­tioning?

Apply: After Paul’s experience in Athens with these pagans and philosophers, he wrote to the Corinthians that “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). What lesson is there for us about how central Christ must be to our message regardless of whom we are preaching to?

Share: Your friend says, just like with Paul at Athens, many today just enjoy talking about new ideas about the Bible and prophecy all the time but that’s all they want to do is talk. There seems to be no real conviction. How do we help people become convicted of truth? How again might 1 Corinthians 2:2 help you answer your friend?

Read in Class: Acts 17:22-23. Define the main idead of this passage.

Study: What was Paul doing here in his attempt to reach these people with the gospel?

Apply: What bridges and points of contact can you think of that would open opportunities for deeper conversation with others with whom you come in contact?

Share: Your friend notices that Paul said these people were very religious even though they were worshiping false gods and therefore had a false religion. your friend asks you, which is easier, reaching someone who has no religion or reaching someone who has a false religion? What strategies do you use for reaching people with a false religion as opposed to people with no religion? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Acts 17:24-34. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What approach was Paul taking here in an attempt to reach these people?

Paul probably spoke longer at the Areopagus than just the few words Luke shared in this story. It seems reasonable for the sake of space that Luke just summarized Paul’s speech. If that is true, then each of the concepts we have read so far Paul probably fleshed out in more detail. Then we break down Paul’s speech into concepts:

  1. Paul first complimented their current spiritual awareness and sincerity.
  2. Next he showed that he had studied their belief and that he found some things that he respected from what he had learned.
  3. He then told them about one particular thing that he had discovered in his study of their religion that they admitted they did not understand.
  4. After that, he shared the aspect of God that he knew they desperately needed, which is the fact that God exists and that He loves them and is not far away.
  5. Finally, at the end of his speech, Paul moved to warning them of what it means to reject the knowledge of this God they did not yet know.

Apply: Notice Paul’s appeal to the created world and to God as the Creator (see also Romans 1:18-25). Why is this such a good approach to take, at least as a start, with most people? What is it about the created world that points so powerfully to God?

Challenge:  In prayer, ask for God’s specific guidance in knowing how best to witness to someone you know. Explore social media as a possible “Areopagus” for you to represent the gospel—with Paul’s clarity and ­discretion—to unbelievers.

by In Light Of The Cross

9: Mission to the Powerful-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, Sabbath, Sabbath December 2, 2023.

Main Theme: God can and will use humble people to bring powerful people to Jesus.

Read in Class: Daniel 4:19-37. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What happened to the king here, and what does this tell us about salvation coming to one of the world’s most powerful men?

Apply: Even if we are not rich and powerful by the world’s standards, why must we be careful to avoid the kind of arrogance that this king had manifested? Why might that attitude be easier to have than we might think?

Share: Your friend says our political world is being so corrupt and polarized, there is no hope. Your friend says the leaders are so corrupt there is no hope for their eternal salvation. In light of Daniel 4, what do you say to your friend about the corrupt leaders today?

Read in Class: 2 Kings 5:1-19. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What can we take from this story about reaching people for the Lord?

Apply: What lessons should we learn from this story about not pushing people too quickly, especially those who come from a non-­Christian background?

Share: Your friend says if she had been the servant girl, she would never had told Naaman about the prophet who could heal him. Instead she would pray he would die so she could escape and be free to go back home. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 3:1-12. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does this story reveal about Nicodemus’s spiritual needs and how Jesus addressed them right away?

Apply: Why must we be careful of the trap of thinking that because “we have the truth” (which we do), then the knowledge of this truth alone is enough to save us? How many souls will be lost who had more than enough knowledge, even of the three angels’ messages, to be saved?

Share: Your friend asks if you think Nicodemus ever heeded Jesus’ invitation to be born again? How might John 7:43-52 and John 19:39 help you answer your friend?

Read in Class: Matthew 19:16-22, Luke 19:1-10 and Mark 15:43-47. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: Talk about the contrasts between the stories in Matthew 19:16-22 and Luke 19:1-10. What do think made the differences? What does Mark 15:43-47 tell us about how God uses rich people?

Challenge: Add someone to your daily prayer list who is in a position of power, is not a believer, and is someone you could come in contact with from time to time. Remember Daniel 4. No one is so powerfully corrupt that they are beyond hope!

Challenge Up: Address a letter or email to someone in a position of power—even if it is someone you may never have met—and tell that person that you are praying for him or her.

by In Light Of The Cross

8: Mission to the Needy-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, November 25, 2023.

Main Theme: God has a plan to reach those who might be needy in any number of ways. Their needs might be physical, emotional, financial, or even social: that is, some might be deemed as outcasts from their community or family. Whatever the needs are, we must be ready to do what we can to help. This is a central part of what it means to be a Christian and what mission must include.

Read in Class: Luke 5:17-26. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What are some of the lessons we can take from this story about mission and ministry?

Apply: Who around you, right now, needs some help? What are you going to do for them?

Share: Your friend points out that the pharisees and teachers were already in the house listening to Jesus when the men brought their friend to Jesus. The Bible does not say that the men were teachers or had any kind of a title or position in the church. Your friend asks, which is better? To be a pharisee or teacher sitting in the church, or a regular lay member actively bringing people to Jesus? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 5:1-9. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does this story teach us about ministry to the needy?

Apply: How might this statement help us find ways to minister to those who need our help? ” “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.” —The Ministry of Healing, p. 143.

Share: Your friend asks how we can mingle with people of the world without becoming like the world? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Deuteronomy 10:19, Psalm 146:9, Romans 12:13, and Leviticus 23:22. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What is the important theme here to remember?

Apply: Even if it’s only a small amount, what can you do to help any immigrants or refugees you know about?

Share: Your friend says that there is a difference between legal and illegal immigrants. If we help illegal immigrants it only hurts those who are trying to enter legally. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Matthew 25:34-40 and John 15:13. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What is the message here for us? How do we apply these principles in our ministry to others?

Challenge: Learn about foreigners or non-Christians who live in your country. Joshuaprojects.net is a good place to survey unreached people groups in your culture.

Challenge Up: Identify someone within your sphere of influence. Begin regularly praying for the person after answering the following questions: Is this person my friend—according to Jesus’ model of friendship? Do I know the needs of his or her life? How can I lead him or her to Jesus for healing?

by In Light Of The Cross

7: Mission to my Neighbor-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School Class, November 18, 2023.

Main Theme: Our mission is to put the theory of the Gospel into practice.

Read in Class: Luke 10:25-26. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What did the lawyer ask and what was Jesus’ answer?

Apply: Jesus did not give his own opinion or philosophy when asked this important question. He directed the seeker straight to God’s Word to find the answer. What can we learn from this for when we are asked important questions regarding truth? Can we help people find the answer in the Word of God?

Share: Share a time a friend or even stranger was talking to you about a secular topic and you were able to use that secular topic as a springboard to share to Jesus.

Read in Class: Acts 17:11 and 2 Timothy 3:16. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: How do these verses help us understand Jesus’ response to the lawyer in Luke 10:26?

Apply: Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, always pointed people back to the Written Word. What should this tell us about the importance of the Bible and why we must reject any philosophical or theological reasoning that lessens our trust in the Bible?

Share: Your friend tells you that while the Adventist church teachers the Bible over tradition that some traditions are not bad. He also insinuates that some Adventists have their own traditions apart from the Bible. Is your friend right? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Luke 10:27-28. Define the main idea of this passage. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What was the lawyer’s answer to his own question?

Apply: Read James 1:26 and James 2:17-22. How do these verses relate to what Jesus told the lawyer? How successful are you at putting God’s Word into practice? Especially when it come to showing love and compassion to those who may not be too loveable?

Share: Share a time you were a good Samaritan. Don’t be shy. We are not bragging we are encouraging others to put the Gospel into practice.

Read in Class: Luke 10:30-37. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How would you summarize Jesus’ meaning in the story here?

Challenge: Begin praying daily for someone who is different from you, or even for someone you may not personally like.

Challenge Up: List at least three names of your acquaintances (non-Adventists); identify their needs (emotional, physical, social), and consider how you can minister personally to those needs. What can you do practically for them in the coming week?

by In Light Of The Cross

6: Motivation and Preparation for Mission-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, November 11, 2023.

Main Theme: The Bible shares events and experiences in the early church that give us guidance as we prepare for mission.

Read in Class: Luke 24:36-49. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What happened here, and why was this such a pivotal experience for the apostles?

Apply: How well grounded are you in the prophecies that point to Christ, both His first and second comings? Especially in the last days, why must we be grounded in the Word of God, including the prophecies, and why is understanding them so crucial, especially for mission?

Share: A classmate in Sabbath School notices, that earlier in Luke 24 Jesus could have shown his scarred hands to the two on the road to Emmaus, but instead He just directed them to Scripture. Later Jesus lets everyone see his scars, handle Him and still led them into the Scriptures. Your friend asks, how much do we rely on signs, and what we see and feel, compared to how much we rely on Scripture alone? What do you tell your classmate?

Read in Class: Acts 1:12-26. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study:  What were the disciples, now numbering around 120 men and women, doing while they were waiting?

Apply: How can you learn to wait upon the Lord and not lose faith in the meantime? Meanwhile, while waiting, how can you best use your time, as the disciples did here?

Share: Your friend says casting lots sounds a lot like gambling. Can we really just pray and flip a quarter to see what God’s will is? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Acts 2:7-11 and 37-41. Define the main idea of these passages.

Study:  What happened to the disciples as a result of receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost?

Apply: Why should the idea that even some of those who were complicit in Christ’s death were offered salvation (1) encourage us for our own souls and (2) encourage us to witness to others, no matter how bad they may seem to be?

Share: Your friend says that our churches are not growing as fast as the early church grew. Your friend asks why we are not seeing more baptisms now? Do you agree with your friend or not? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Acts 2:41-47. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What kind of picture of the early church is present here?

Challenge: Think of someone in your life who you wish was a believer. Pray every day for him or her to have a personal experience with Jesus.

Challenge Up: Whom are you discipling and leading into a relationship with Jesus? Look for ways to bring him or her into fellow­ship with other believers.

by In Light Of The Cross

5: Excuses to Avoid Mission-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, November 4, 2023.

Main Theme: We can learn from the story Jonah about what happens when we have the wrong attitude towards mission.

Read in Class: Jonah 2:13, 7-10. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What do these verses reveal about how Jonah started to understand God’s providence?

Apply: Winning souls is hard, too hard for humans to do on their own. How can we learn, instead, to let God win souls, but through us and our life and witness?

Share: Your friend says that he sees God’s providence leading him into soul winning, but he has many fears about opposition and rejection? How could the story of Jonah help you answer your friend? Or even the story of Joshua in Joshua 1:1-10?

Read in Class: Jonah 3:1-10. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How did the people respond to what Jonah had preached? What lessons are here for us about witnessing?

Apply: What sacrifice is God asking you to make—or be ready to make—for the sake of sharing His love with someone else? How completely do you trust that He will fulfill His promise to enrich your life through sacrifice?

Share: Your friend asks, “What made the people change their minds so quickly about God? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Jonah 4:1-11. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What was wrong with this man?

Apply: The story doesn’t resolve with an ending of Jonah’s repentance. Rather, the unfinished story pivots to us. What will we do about God’s concern for the wicked, for the bullies, for the unreached across the globe?

Share: Your friend says, that in the end God really does not want to punish people. He wants to save us all. So in the end no one will really be lost. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Isaiah 6:1-8. Define the main idea of this passage.

Apply: If you had been in Isaiah’s place what would your response to the question, “Who will go?” and why?

Challenge: On a blank sheet of paper or in your prayer journal, make a list of ten people you know are not believers. We will call them your “disciples.” List them by name if possible. Keep this list close by, and for the rest of the quarter, pray daily for each of your ten disciples. Pray that God will help you become casual friends with those who are acquaintances. Pray that you can develop deeper, closer, trusting friendships with your casual friends. As you deepen your relationships, carefully watch and listen so you can identify their specific needs, hurts, and pain. Then pray that God will meet them in that area of need.

Challenge Up: Choose a city near you as well as a city in another part of the world. Begin praying for the people who live and work in each. Ask that God will raise up a strong Adventist presence that can share the truth as we know it—the truth about the soon coming of Jesus.

by In Light Of The Cross

4: Sharing God’s Mission-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School, October 28, 2023.

Main Theme: Genesis 18 gives us Abraham as a model of how God can use us in His mission.

Read in Class: Genesis 18:16-33. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How did Abraham exercise his great quality of love for all people without distinguishing tribe, race, or people?

Apply: Why is intercessory prayer so important in our own prayer life? How can praying for others in need help us grow spiritually and experience more the reality of God’s love for sinners?

Share: Your friend asks what good it does to pray for the salvation of those around us? Isn’t God already doing all He can to save the world? How could our prayers possibly help God when He is already doing everything possible to save us?

Read in Class: Genesis 18:23-32 and James 5:16. Define the common thread in these passages.

Study:  What should this teach us about the power of intercessory prayer?

Apply: Read Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25. What do they tell us about what Jesus does for us, and how might this truth help us understand better our own role as intercessors for others?

Share: Your friend asks how God has answered your prayers regarding the salvation of others? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Genesis 19:1-29. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What was the result of Abraham’s spirit of hospitality, love, and prayer?

Apply: How can we learn not to be discouraged if we are not seeing the kind of results that we want when we do mission? See That’s Why I’m Here.

Share: Your friend asks, “How do we convince such a sinful generation that they need a Savior without making them feel condemned?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Genesis 12:1-9. Define the main idead of this passage.

Study:  What do these verses teach about submitting to God’s will, even when the path ahead does not seem clear?

Challenge: Challenge: In our cities, we face obstacles in preaching the gospel appropriately and effectively. We need to plead with God to intervene.

Challenge up:  Find a way to contact someone who is being directly affected by a difficult situation similar to your own. Tell that person you are praying for him or her, and ask God to show you what you can do to help.

by In Light Of The Cross

3: God’s Call to Mission-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, October 21, 2023.

Main Theme: God’s mission will call us out of our comfort zones.

Read in Class: Genesis 11:1-9 and Genesis 12:1-3. Define the main idea of these passages.

Study: What were the intentions of the people? What were they wanting to do, and why would God thwart it? In what way was God’s instruction to Abram a call to mission?

Apply: Are you part of a group or ethnic community that is more comfortable among themselves? In what ways may you possibly engage with others who are not part of your race, ethnicity, or nationality?

Share: Your friend asks you if God has ever sent you out of your comfort zone to accomplish a mission? What was the mission and how did it go?

Read in Class: Genesis 12:1-13:1. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What things happened to him next, and what mistakes did this man of God make?

Apply: What lessons can we take from the story about Abram in Egypt?

Share: Your friend asks, “What if God calls us somewhere were there is not much potential and things look pretty hopeless? How do we know God is calling us, will be with us, and we will be successful?”

Read in Class: Acts 8:1-4. Define the key thought in this passage.

Study: In the early church, what brought about the scattering of believers beyond their comfort zone?

Apply: In what ways could you, daily, express mission in your attitude and behavior? How could you be more mission-minded in your daily tasks?

Share: Your friend asks, “Does God always use persecution to get us out of our comfort zones to complete the mission? Does God ever use us in our comfort zones?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Acts 1:8. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What principle did Jesus present when doing the work of sharing or being His witnesses to the world?

Challenge: Identify and make a list of people groups with special needs in your community, whom the church has not made efforts to reach. Challenge Up: Begin praying for an opportunity in the near future to become engaged in mission to people with special needs.

Share: How may God be calling you out of your comfort zone to share in His mission? Are you willing be called out of your comfort zone this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

2: God’s Mission to us Part 2-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, October 14, 2023.

Main Theme: The Scriptures reveal what God’s mission is all about.

Read in Class: John 20:21-22. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How should the understanding that mission finds its origin in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit shape our mission?

Apply: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all involved in the work of saving souls. Why should you find this thought so comforting?

Share: Your friend says the word Trinity is nowhere in the Bible so we should not believe in the Trinity. What do you tell your friend? See also How a Proper Understanding of the Heavenly Trio Keeps Churches and Families From Falling Under a Dictatorship.

Read in Class: Matthew 28:16-20. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What elements of discipleship can you identify in this passage?

Apply: The mission is to “make disciples.” How is this mandate of the Master affecting how you live and minister to others? What can you do to be more involved in what you have been called to do?

Share: Your friend says he does not understand why someone has to go through a whole series of Bible studies to be baptized? Didn’t Philip baptize the Ethiopian on the spot? What do you tell your friend? See also What is Worse Than Persecution?

Read in Class: Revelation 14:6-7. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What aspects of God’s mission can you identify in the “eternal gospel” (NRSV) presented by the first angel of the three angels’ messages?

Apply: How is the concept of judgment linked to the “everlasting gospel” in the first angel’s message? Why must the gospel be central to the idea of judgment?

Share: Your friend says she is not in good health and can’t get out of the house anymore. She asks how she can help spread the gospel to all the world while she is in her home? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 7:9-10. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study:  What does this text suggest about the far-reaching geographical scope of God’s mission?

Apply: Will you pray every day this week for the community where you live. God has placed you there for a reason.

Share: Will you research the demographics of your area (what kind of people live around you)—ethnic and religious background, old, young, poor, wealthy, languages spoken, and so on. Ask God to show you how you may be a channel of His love to them.