by In Light Of The Cross

A Prisoner of Circumstance or the Lord?

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Have you ever felt like you were a victim of circumstances? Due to lack of education or money you have missed opportunities? Maybe if you had not married right out of high school you could have explored the world instead of getting tied down. Now you are sacrificing your own dreams in order to create a better life for your family. Meanwhile others wish they had married so they could be experiencing a family. Now those are examples of being a victim of our own choices and not necessarily circumstances beyond our own control. Others feel like they were born victims.

Some blame the location of where they were born on how their lives turned out. Several years ago a friend came to visit me from South America. We were stopped at an intersection where a man was begging. My friend was amazed that there were poor people in the United States. She thought all Americans were wealthy because America is known as the land of opportunity. It seems that, no matter where people come from or what their lot is in life, they can see them selves as victims of circumstances.

While I enjoy my freedom of being single, there are times I miss having a family. I was talking to a friend the other day about one of the things I miss about not having my own family. I miss having someone with whom to share my stories. I don’t have a wife with whom I can share my school yearbook and tell her my high school and college stories. I don’t have any children to whom I can tell my “when I was a kid” stories. Then again, I know married people who don’t have anyone in their family who wants to hear their story either. 1

My friend then made an amazing comparison. She told me while I have no family with whom to share my stories, I share them with my church family and extended family through blogging. She told me Paul was the same way. Maybe that is why he wrote so much and loved his church so much. Having no immediate family, the church was his love and passion, and he shared his story and testimony with them through his letters. Maybe that is why he wrote so much!

Now I have no doubt Paul wrote because God told him to, and it got me to thinking about Paul’s circumstances and one thing I have always noticed: While being persecuted and in prison Paul never thought of himself as a victim of circumstances. He never even though of himself as a victim of the Jews or Romans while in prison. Paul writes,

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles.. Ephesians 3:1

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you… Ephesians 4:1

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner:2 Timothy 1:8

Paul never refers to being a prisoner of the Romans or Jews. Even while in prison Paul saw himself as a prisoner of the Lord! He knew he was exactly where God wanted him to be. Paul did most of his writing from prison. If he had been free to travel and talk to people in person, he would not have written so much, and we would not have had all of his writings preserved in the New Testament that we have today.

Paul was well aware of how an angel freed Peter from prison. Paul was well aware of how Philip just disappeared from one place and appeared in another. Paul knew that the iron bars and soldiers were not really holding him there. He knew he was right where God needed him to be, so he calls himself a prisoner of the Lord instead of a prisoner of man or circumstances.

I have a friend who recently took a job for which she was over-qualified. Based on her education and degree, she should be somewhere else making much more money. She may have even faced ridicule from her friends and family for “lowering” herself to take this job, but where she is living, and based on other “circumstances” this is the best she can do for now. She never complains. Instead she tells me of the people she meets there who need Jesus, people she never would have been able to reach out to if she was not working with them. They never would have come to her church. She never would have met them working any place else. She is glad she is where she is because she is being used by God to reach people who need Him! And really isn’t that where we all should be?

No matter where we are born and raised and work, our real home is in heaven and we are just missionaries to this world, sent from God to share the good news with others. Some of us may be missionaries in places of poverty. Some of us may be missionaries in our families, or if we have no immediate family then in our church family and communities. Some of us may be missionaries in difficult work places, and some of us may be missionaries in literal prisons. Either way we are not prisoners of circumstances. If we love God and have chosen to serve Him, we are only prisoners of the Lord.

  1. By the way, just because I am happy being single does not mean I have chosen to remain single. I am just happy being single until God brings me the right woman. I am not desperate. I am happily content. ↩

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

12: A Call to Stand-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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

Main Theme: In composing Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul prays for an enhanced vision for believers so that they will be able to see the full reality of the great controversy and to draw hope from what it reveals to them.

Read in Class: Ephesians 6:10-20. Define the key thought in this passage.

Study: What does Paul’s battle cry mean to us today, as combatants in the great controversy?

Apply: What should Paul’s warning that we fight not against flesh and blood but against supernatural enemies teach us about where our only hope of victory is?

Share: Your friend asks, how can we be praying always? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Romans 13:11-14. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How does this passage compare to Ephesians 6:10-20?

Apply: What are some of the ways that you personally have experienced the reality not only of this cosmic conflict, but of the victory we can claim for ourselves in Jesus? Why is understanding His victory for us so foundational to our hope and experience?

Share: Your friend tells you he is trying to stop smoking, but keeps a cigarette in the cabinet “just in case.” How might Romans 13:14 help you answer your friend?

Read in Class: 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: Out of all the armor mentioned in Ephesians 6:10-20, why do you think Paul chooses to repeat breastplate and helmet here? Are they more important than the other pieces of armor?

Apply: How do you apply verse 6 not to sleep as others do? Don’t we all need sleep?

Share: Your friend asks, ” how does putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation keep us sober?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 10:3-6. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does it mean that we walk in the flesh but do not war according to the flesh? How might Ephesians 6:12 help us answer this question?

Apply: What are some of the arguments in the great controversy, and how do you cast them down and make them obedient to Christ?

Share: Can you think of a friend who would be encouraged by something in this week’s lesson? What you can you do to plan to share it with them this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

11: Practicing Supreme Loyalty to Christ-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, September 9, 2023.

Main Theme: Honoring our parents helps us to be well rounded, successful family members and individuals.

Read in Class: Ephesians 6:1-3. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What advice does Paul give to children, and how does he support that counsel from the Old Testament?

Apply: How do these verses reinforce how important family relationships are?

Share: Your friend says he was abused by his parents as a child. Today he appreciates God as his loving heavenly Father, but says there is no way he can ever honor his earthly parents. He says, “Surely God does not expect me to honor my parents.” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21. Define the main idea of these passages.

Study:  What motivation does Colossians 3:21 provide for avoiding irritating one’s children?

Apply: Though the context of the lesson here deals with parents and children, what principles can be taken from these texts that should impact how we should deal with all other people?

Share: A friend tells you she know she has needlessly provoked her children in the past, but doesn’t think she should say she is sorry, because authoritarians should never have to say they are sorry. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 6:5-8. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does Paul require of Christian slaves in his detailed instructions to them?

Apply: However much we might wish that Scripture had openly condemned this horrible practice, it doesn’t. Nevertheless, what principles can we draw from Paul’s words in this context about how we relate to people we work with in our own context?

Share: Your friend says that the Bible is tone deaf towards slavery and other social issues of the day like how women should be treated or even homosexuals for that matter. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 6:9. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: Assuming that you are a Christian slave master who is listening to Ephesians being read out in your house church, how might you react to this counsel, offered in the presence of your slaves? 

Apply: Even though we do not own slaves, how should Ephesians 6:9 help guide us in the way we treat our employees or those under our “command?”

Share: How can you show your appreciation this week for your employees or someone in a servant position?

by In Light Of The Cross

12 Simple Words That Changed How I Look at Life and People

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-2

My Family with my Grandmother Ruth Holzkamper at her 100th birthday party.

One summer when I was ten years old I spent a week with my grandmother in Arkansas, just a couple hours from where I lived in Oklahoma. At the end of the week my mother came to pick me up. As we were all visiting my mother said something, and I responded with a rude comment. My grandmother told me, “You don’t talk that way to your mother!” I thought she was going to say, because she is the boss of me or bigger than me or something like that, but what my grandmother said next took me by surprise and I have never forgotten. She finished by saying, “You don’t talk that way to someone who would die for you!” My grandmother was right, Of course we obey those in authority because they do know best. We respect them because of their wisdom, experience and guidance, but we should always honor our parents because they love us so much they would give their life for us. 

This does not mean we cannot have disagreements, but those disagreements should always be respectful disagreements, keeping in mind the person we are disagreeing with loves us so much he or she  would give their life for us. This also goes for school teachers. How many tragic school shooting stories have included a teacher dying while protecting her students, even though those students may have been very disrespectful to her? It also goes for law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line. Just earlier this summer I read about an off duty police officer who intentionally got in the path of a wrong way driver and gave his life, to save others who would have been hit. Before cursing the stranger who took the parking space we were aiming for, remember you don’t know their story. Maybe they have risked their lives to save another life. Maybe they were the ones who donated the blood that saved your uncle’s life. Maybe they would take a bullet for you too, you never know. Strangers have taken bullets for other strangers before.

“You don’t talk that way to someone who would die for you.” Twelve simple but profound words, I heard uttered one time almost 50 years ago, that have changed the entire way I look at life and other people. 

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

How A Proper Understanding Of The Heavenly Trio Keeps Churches and Families From Falling Under A Dictatorship

Submitting to one another in the fear of God. Ephesians 5:21 NKJV

Do you picture God as just one Being who is a dictator, or do you picture God being a heavenly Trio made up of three persons creating a community of love? If we view God as a single dictator then it is highly likely our families and churches will fall under a dictatorship mentality. If we view God as three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each one creating a community of love, then it is more likely our families and churches will follow the same model. 

1 John 4:8 tells us God is love. Love is being others centered. Even before another creature was ever created God was love, because God was three Persons, each one centered on the needs of the other. 1 Corinthians 13 describes love so it must also be describing God. 

It does not demand its own way.  1 Corinthians 13:5 NLT 

Love does not demand its own way. If God is love does He demand His own way? No. In Matthew 26:39 you have the Son submitting to the Father, saying, “not my will but your will be done.” Did the Son submit to the Father because the Father had to have His own way? No. when being arrested Jesus said in Matthew 26:53 He could have asked the Father to send him 12 legions of angels to rescue Him and the Father would have complied. What you have in Matthew 26 is a heavenly family submitting to each other, the way Paul says families should all submit to one another in Ephesians 5:21 as well as the rest of Ephesians 5. God is all powerful but God is not all controlling. God is not a tyrant  calling all the shots. God is a community of love creating other communities of love. 

Lucifer, on the other hand wanted to destroy God’s community of love and set up His own dictatorship. In  Genesis 1:26 God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” Notice how God did not speak as a lone dictator. God spoke as a community of love, using words like “us” and “ours.” Now notice how Lucifer spoke as he sought to destroy a community orientated government by attempting to set up his own dictatorship. 

For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Isaiah 14:13-14 NKJV 

Notice instead of using words like “us” and “ours” Lucifer is using words like “I” and “my.” Instead of a government being operated by a community of love Lucifer is introducing himself as a lone dictator. Lucifer is also creating something God never intended- a hierarchy. Remember God is all powerful but not all controlling. Lucifer now wants to be the lone dictator with total control. This is something God never intended-ever. God created Adam and Eve as equal partners. Not the same of course but equal. When they sinned in Genesis 3 they were blaming everyone but themselves. By saying others should have been more responsible they were saying others have more responsibility which creates a hierarchy. So when the Lord tells Eve in Genesis 3:16 that your husband will rule over you, He was not creating a hierarchy as much as He was telling Eve by passing blame and responsibility they had just created a hierarchy. 

In Ephesians 5:21 Paul tells us to submit to one another. In Ephesians 5 Paul is trying to destroy a hierarchy and tyrant model family, and replace it with a family like the heavenly Trio, which is a community of love model family. If we see God as just one person who is all controlling, then it is very likely our churches will fall under a hierarchy with one very controlling tyrannical  “leader” calling all the shots. It is also very likely that our families will fall under a hierarchy with one person dominating the rest of the family.

This obviously is not God’s plan. God never created a hierarchy. He never created a dictatorship. He created a community of love. Years ago my church was having evangelistic meetings. One night I was clearing several baptismal candidates for baptism while the baptistry sprang a leak. Deacons were working all night to fix the leak so we could have the baptism the next day,  while I cleared the candidates for baptism. We were working together. That night both our jobs were extremely important. The deacons and I were not the same. We had different functions, but we were equal. As the pastor on the church board, I have a multitude of counselors as Proverbs 15:22 suggests. God’s government is not a dictatorship and neither is my church family. I have worked with a church that changed its lead elder every year, but all the elders worked so well together they often forgot which one was the current lead elder. A community of love is like that. When teaching 1st graders I liked to play a game where one student stepped out of the room while a leader was chosen. When the student stepped back in, the class would be following the leader as the leader would pat her head or rub her stomach and then clap and so on. The others followed the leader mimicking the same motions so closely so that the student who was watching could not tell who the leader was. I believe our churches and families should be governed by a community of love, working so well and closely together that you can’t even tell who the leader is. 

We destroy Lucifer’s tyrannical dictatorship and hierarchy system when we revert back to God’s plan of a government which is a community of love, just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit create a community of love.

If you view God as being one single dictator, then chances are when you read Ephesians 5 you only see the part about the husband being the head and the wife is supposed to submit to the husband. But if you understand the heavenly trio, and understand the Godhead is one family where each one submits to and serves the other, then chances are when you read Ephesians 5 you see more than just the husband being the head and the wife submitting to him. You will also see Ephesians 5:21 where we are to submit to each other. You will also see the part where the husband loves the wife so much he would die for her the same way Christ died for the church. You will see the wife respecting the husband, not because of his power and authority but because of his self-sacrificing love for her. 

Lucifer presents to our churches and families a government ruled by a  lone tyrannical dictator. The heavenly Trio offers our churches and families a government ruled by community and self sacrificing love. 

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

10: Husbands and Wives Together at the Cross-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, September 2, 2023.

Main Theme: Husbands and wives should be faithful and loving each other just as Christ is loving and faithful towards the church.

Read in Class: Ephesians 5:21-29. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: As Paul, in Ephesians 5:25-27, 29, shapes his wedding-marriage metaphor for the church and its relationship with Christ, he draws creatively on the customs and roles of an ancient wedding. In relationship to the church as bride, Christ is the divine Bridegroom who:

  1. Loves the church as bride (Eph. 5:25). We must never forget that this is heart work for Jesus. He loves us!
  2. Gives Himself as the bride price. In the context of ancient wedding arrangements, the bridegroom would “purchase” the bride with the “bride price,” which was usually a large sum of money and valuables, so large that ancient village economies depended upon the custom. Christ pays the ultimate price for the church as His bride since He “gave Himself for her” (Eph. 5:25, NKJV). In the Incarnation and at the cross, He gives Himself as the bride price.
  3. Bathes His bride. The preparation of the bride was an important part of the ancient wedding festivities. As is also true today, it was the bridesmaids and female relatives of the bride who prepared her for the ceremony. Paul, though, imagines the divine Bridegroom preparing His bride for the wedding! It is He who sanctifies and cleanses her “by the washing of water” (Eph. 5:26, ESV), a probable reference to baptism.
  4. Speaks the word of promise. This cleansing is performed “with the word” (Eph. 5:26, ESV), pointing to the word of promise that the divine Bridegroom speaks to His bride, perhaps in the context of the betrothal ceremony (compare Eph. 1:3-14, Eph. 2:1-10, noting God’s promises to believers at the time of their conversion). Betrothal was the ancient version of modern engagement, but was a much more serious set of negotiations, which included a written agreement about the bride price (from the husband) and the dowry (assets the bride would bring to the marriage from her family).
  5. Prepares and adorns the bride. When the bride is finally presented to her Groom, she is fabulously beautiful, appearing in flawless splendor (Eph. 5:27). Christ not only bathes the bride; He prepares and adorns her as well.

Apply: How do these verses help us understand the way Christ feels about us? Why should we find this so comforting?

Share: Your friend says that she is enduring her husband’s abusive behavior in hopes that her submission and example will finally lead him to Christ. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 11:1-4. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How does Paul use elements of the ancient wedding in appealing to Christians in Corinth? When does the presentation occur?

Apply: How does this imagery show you how much Christ cares for you?

Share: Your friend says the Bible is not inspired because it teaches the authority of the husband, which not how our society operates now. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 5:28-30. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What new argument does Paul use to encourage husbands to practice tender love toward their wives?

Apply: Paul cites the example of Jesus to both wives and husbands. What can you learn from Jesus about loving those in your own family circle?

Share: Your friend asks how the Godhead can be one but still have three members? How does the imagery of a husband and wife being one help you answer the question?

Read in Class: Genesis 2:15-25. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What happens in the story before the statement concerning a husband and wife being “one flesh” (Gen. 2:24)?

Apply: In what ways does Ephesians 5:33 serve as a concise summary of Paul’s counsel in Ephesians 5:21-32? If married, how can you seek to more fully implement these principles in your marriage?

Share: Can you think of a married couple who’s relationship expresses the love of God? Can you reach out to them and commend them for their Christian example?

by In Light Of The Cross

Lynette, Sara, and Amy’s Baptism Pictures and Stories

Sabbath, August 19, 2023 was a very special Sabbath for the Inverness Seventh-day Adventist Church, as we celebrated three baptisms. Three wonderful people gave all of themselves to Jesus because Jesus gave all of Himself for them. In the above picture is Crystal. Crystal has shared with us at Wednesday night prayer meetings how Jesus’ love has transformed her life, giving her peace, joy and love like she has never known before. Crystal loves sharing Jesus’ transforming love with others by sharing her testimony and by giving personal and group Bible studies. Lynette is one of the fiends Crystal has studied with who has also fallen in love with Jesus and was baptized last Sabbath, August 19, 2023.

“ And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes” Galatians 3:27 NLT

Lynette has put on Christ by being baptized, but she also puts on Christ when she helps others at the Inverness Adventist Church thrift store. She also puts on Christ as she worships with her Inverness Adventist church family, as well as community Bible studies during the week. Like Crystal, Lynette radiates the love of Jesus.

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.  And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 NLT

Sara and her future sister-in-law Amy joined a group Bible study group we had at the church. Sara, like, the disciple Andrew, gave a personal invitation for her friend from middle school to join our Bible study as well. Sara and her friend faithfully participated in our Bible studies as well as our socials at Pizza Hut. They both appreciate the value of studying together and fellowshipping together. Sara and her friend enjoy making Jesus a part of their everyday life.

“Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?  For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.” Romans 6:3-6 NLT

Amy, Sara’s future sister-in-law enthusiastically participated in our Bible study group along with her fiancée, Jeffery. They all enjoyed sharing their ideas and never hesitated to ask when they had questions. Amy in an eager learner and is looking forward to learning even more about Jesus and His love. Amy told me her favorite Bible verse is 1 John 1:9. “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” I have to agree, this passage gives me much hope and comfort too as I still stive to be more like Jesus in my daily life.

Friend, would you like to start a new life with Jesus? There is room at the cross for you as well as for Lynette, Sara and Amy. I would love to talk with you share how you also can experience the transforming love and Joy Jesus has to offer you. You can reach out to me at william.earnhardt@Floridaconference.com
by In Light Of The Cross

One Word of Kindly Cheer

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Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29 NLT 

Forgive me (And I know you will because Ephesians 4:32 tells us to)  for tarrying in last week’s Sabbath School lesson a little longer, but I believe Ephesians 4:29 is worth another glance. We live in a world of negativity and discouragement. Insults are considered comedy and are mainstream in the entertainment world. If you are single, how many times have you woken up, knowing you had a challenging, seemingly impossible day ahead of you, and wished there was someone to share an encouraging word with you as you headed to work? If you are married, how many times have you woken up to a challenging seemingly impossible day, and instead of your family encouraging you, only spoke words of discouragement, making you sink even further into hopeless despair? How many times have you heard a friend or coworker say, “This is not what I needed today!” when they were already carrying an unbearable burden, as someone added the straw that broke the camel’s back with a discouraging word? 

Many, many, have fainted and become discouraged in the great struggle of life, when one word of kindly cheer would have strengthened them to overcome. Never should we pass by one suffering soul without seeking to impart to him of the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God.-Ellen White, Desire of Ages, Pages 504-505. 

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold In settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11 NKJV 

With some rare blessed exceptions, I believer we all at one time or another have longed for an encouraging word in a sea of hopeless despair, only to receive none. Still God’s grace carried us through.. Hopefully this has taught us how much others need a word of encouragement. At the same time, while the world is full of negativity and discouragement, God has His wonderful encouragers all over the place. 

Years ago a pastor friend told me about a visit he had with Jamie. Jamie had been ten years nicotine free, and was the lead teacher of her church’s primary Sabbath school class. Things were going well for her and she was so happy that God had turned her life around from an atheist chain smoker to a productive disciple for Jesus. Then one day things became very stressful at work. Her boss’s temper became uncontrollable and he was threatening to fire people right and left. Jamie was surprised and depressed to find herself smoking cigarettes again-something she thought she would never do again. Saddened by her falling back into an old addiction, she went to my pastor friend and confessed that she was smoking and needed to stop teaching Sabbath School. Instead of accepting her resignation and condemning her, the pastor told her she should definitely not stop teaching Sabbath school. Instead she should and could stop smoking. He reminded her that Psalm 51:17 tells us God will never despise a broken and contrite heart, no matter how many times the same sin has already broken that heart. Jamie went ahead and kept teaching even though she had not totally broken away from the cigarettes. The pastor kept her secret, and prayed with her and encouraged her. Jamie ended up losing her job along with several or her coworkers. Jamie found a new job and soon after shared with the pastor that she had totally stopped smoking again. Jamie was in a small church with a small primary class, and it turned out a couple of the parents had begun to smell the smoke on her even though she never confessed to them. However instead of gossiping and condemning, these parents knew Jamie’s character and understood what was going on in her life, so they prayed for her. This story had a beautiful ending because the pastor and parents were encouraging instead of condemning. They followed the example of Jesus.

Others  He [Jesus]met who were fighting a hand-to-hand battle with the adversary of souls. These He encouraged to persevere, assuring them that they would win; for angels of God were on their side, and would give them the victory. Those whom He thus helped were convinced that here was One in whom they could trust with perfect confidence. He would not betray the secrets they poured into His sympathizing ear.-Ellen White, Desire of Ages, Page 92. 

Who can you speak an encouraging word to today? 

PS If you are reading this and struggling with discouragement, and no one in your circle seems to understand how much you need an encouraging word, please know you are not alone. Jesus knows how you feel. All his friends left him in His darkest hour, yet He said “I am not alone for the Father is with me.” God is with you. He loves you. He sees you and cares for you. God loves you! Don’t give up my friend. I may not even know you, but God knows you, and impressed me to write this paragraph just for you. God loves you and He will see you through to victory! 

by In Light Of The Cross

9: Living Wisely-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School, August 26, 2023.

Main Theme: What the world considers wise God considers foolish, and what the world considers foolish God considers wise.

Read in Class: Ephesians 5:1-10. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: In what sense does Paul intend believers to be “imitators of God”?

Apply: In what ways are Paul’s words about sexual behavior applicable to your culture, wherever you live?

Share: Your friend says that the Bible teachings about premarital sex only applies to teenagers. He is a grown up so sex outside of marriage is okay. Plus his sex life is not the church’s business. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 5:11-14. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What powerful warning is Paul giving here, and how does this apply to our present situation?

Apply: How do you live the kind of lifestyle that can expose works of darkness for what they are?

Share: Your friend asks, “What does it mean to rise from the dead? How can dead people raise themselves back up?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 5:15-17. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: Consider Paul’s exhortations to live in a way that reflects prayerful, discerning wisdom. What is the difference between walking not as fools but “wise”?

Apply: How are we as a church and individuals “redeeming the time?” What does “redeeming the time” even mean to us?

Share: Your friend asks you how she is supposed to understand what God’s will is. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 5:18-20. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: In Ephesians 5:18-20, Paul imagines Christians gathered to worship. What does he depict them as doing in that worship?

Apply: How can you use music to enhance your own worship experience?

Share: Share with the class some things that you are thankful for right now.

by In Light Of The Cross

8: Christ Shaped Lives and Spirit Inspired Speech-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

Prepared by William Earnhardt, For Sabbath School class, August 19, 2023.

Main Theme: Receiving Christ changes the way we talk and act just like changing clothes changes the way we look.

Read in Class: Ephesians 4:17-24. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: In retelling the story of the conversion of his audience, what essential main point is Paul getting across to them?

Apply: What is the difference, the crucial difference, between learning about Christ and learning to know Christ? See “What is all This Jesus Stuff About Anyways?”

Share: Your friend asks, “How we are supposed to be renewed in the Spirit of our mind?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 4:25-32. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: In discussing sins of speech within the Christian community, what exhortation does Paul share about the presence of the Holy Spirit with believers?

Apply: Which of Paul’s words of counsel with regard to the use of speech among believers is the most important to you just now? Why?

Share: Your friend asks, “Can you be angry and still not sin? Do Christians get angry? Did Jesus get angry?” What do you tell your friend? See Mark 3:5

Read in Class: Colossians 3:1-11. Discuss the main idea of this passage?

Study: What are the things we take off as we put on Christ?

Apply: “How did God help you to put off anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy language out of your mouth?

Share: Your friend asks why Colossians 3:8 tells us to put off anger, when Jesus was angry and did not sin? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Colossians 3:12-17. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What are the things we put on as we put on Christ?

Apply: How did God help you to put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; and love, which is the bond of perfection?

Share: Can you think of someone you may need to forgive? Can you share God’s forgiveness with them this week?