Tag / seventh-day adventist Sabbath school

by In Light Of The Cross

8: Teaching Disciples, Part 2-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, August 24, 2024.

Main Theme: Jesus’ lessons prepare us for the challenges of discipleship.

Read in Class: Mark 10:1-16, Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24. . Define he main idea of these passages.

Study: How did the Pharisees try to trap Jesus with their question? What did Jesus teach in these passages about the sacredness of marriage and family, including children?

Apply: How does your church family encourage and mentor married couples and their children?

Share: Your friend says she would love to work with the kids in Adventurers, but with so much in the media today concerning teachers and kids, she does not want to be falsely accused of anything, so she has decided not to participate. What do you tell your friend? See Coaching and Mentoring Vs. Grooming.

Read in Class: Mark 10:17-31. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What crucial lessons about faith and the cost of discipleship­—for anyone, rich or poor—is revealed here?

Apply: Read Romans 6:1-11. How do these verses describe the reality of letting go of selfish ambition and following Jesus.

Share: Your friend asks, why did Jesus ask the young ruler to sell all that he had? Why not just some of what he had or even just half? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 10:32-45. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How do these verses reveal the continued ignorance of the disciples regarding not only Jesus’ mission but what it means to follow Him?

Apply: What does it mean as a Christian to be a “servant” to others? That is, how do you manifest this principle in your daily interaction with people?

Share: Your friend asks you if you can name a leader who has led with a servant’s heart? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 10:46-52. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How did Bartimaeus react to Jesus’ passing by?

Apply: In what ways have you at times cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”? What happened, and what did you learn from this experience?

Share: Can you think of someone who could use Jesus’ help this week? How can you be the hands of Jesus in helping that person this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

3: The Lord Reigns-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, January 20, 2024.

Main Theme: The Lord’s sovereign rule thus renders the world firmly established and secure. The psalmists want the reader to understand this foundational truth. With this worldview as their lighthouse, the psalmists seek to thrive and to serve God with undivided devotion.

Read in Class: Psalm 97:1-12. Define the main point of this Psalm.

Study: What characterizes the Lord’s reign? What is the domain of His reign?

Apply: “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” (Psalms 97:10). Why should our love for God cause us to hate evil? How are these two concepts related?

Share: Your friend says Psalm 97:10 says the Lord delivers his saints out of the hands of the wicked. Yet so many innocent people have died in concentration camps and human trafficking. What good does that promise do them? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 75:1-10. Define the main idea of this Psalm.

Study:  Why is the boasting of the wicked in vain?

Apply: The Psalms call us to rejoice in anticipation of God’s judgments. (See Psalm 67:4, Psalm, 96:10-14, Psalm 98:4-9) How is God’s judgment good news for those covered by the blood of Christ?

Share: Your friend claims he never gets promoted at work because of all the corruption where he works. Company politics has everything rigged. How might Psalm 75:6-7 help you respond to your friend? What illustrations in the Bible can you find of godly people being promoted even in the most corrupt environments?

Read in Class: Psalm 94:14, Psalm 105:7-10, Daniel 7:22. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: The theme of God’s judgment prompts a significant question: How can God’s people have peace with God and assurance of salvation at the time of judgment?

Apply: What do we have in Jesus, which shows why these promises made to ancient Israel can now apply to us? See Galatians 3:26-29.

Share: Your friend says that the promises in the Old Testament were only given to the Jews. How do you answer your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 19:7 and Psalm 119:165. What do these passages have in common?

Study: How is Satan’s attack on the law of God actually an attack on the kingdom of God? Why does Satan have to attack God’s law in order to reach his goal in in Isaiah 14:13-14? How do we know Satan will never reach his goal of reigning over the universe?

Apply: What are practical ways that keeping God’s laws and rules and testimonies have helped you in your life? On the other hand, what have you suffered from violating them?

Share: Your friend tells you the law of God was nailed to the cross and done away with. What do you tell your friend?

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

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

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

1: God’s Mission to Save us Part 1-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, October 7, 2023.

Main Theme: God’s plan is to restore our relationship with God that was broken because of sin.

Read in Class: Isaiah 59:1-2, Exodus 25:8, and Exodus 29:42-45. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What was one of the main purposes of the Old Testament sanctuary?

Apply: What are ways that you experience God’s presence in your life?

Share: Your friend says that she feels separated from God because of her sinful lifestyle and wants to feel His presence again. What can you say to help your friend?

Read in Class: John 1:14-18. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study:  What can you learn from Christ’s incarnation about God’s mission to us?

Apply: Think what it means that God’s love for us is so great that He would come to us in our own humanity. How should we respond to this love, especially in terms of mission to others?

Share: Your friend asks you why God had to become human in order to reconcile us back to Him? What do you tell your friend? See Jesus Died as me as Well as For me.

Read in Class: John 3:16 and Matthew 28:19-20. Define the common idea in these passages?

Study: How do you see God’s love and mission interacting here?  What is the promise we can find in the Great Commission? How does it bring assurance for us as we get involved in God’s mission?

Apply: In what ways have you seen Jesus’ promise to be “with you always” being fulfilled in your own life as you are engaged in mission?

Share: Your friend asks, “If God is always with us why do bad things happen to us?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 14:1-3. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: In what ways is it connected with the end-time message found in the Scriptures?

Apply: How do Exodus 25:8 and John 14:1-3 compliment each other in helping us to understand the sanctuary message and Jesus’ work in preparing dwelling places so we can be with Him? How could this help explain why it is taking so long for Jesus to create rooms or mansions for us to dwell in? Are you allowing Jesus to make His home right in your heart so that where He is there you can be also?

Share: Can you pray for God to open the hearts of your friends and family to allow you to share God’s mission with them? Will you also pray for God to put someone new in your path who you can share God’s mission with?

by In Light Of The Cross

14: Ephesians in the Heart-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class on September 30, 2023.

Main Theme: Paul’s message is not just for the Ephesians but for believers all over the world.

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:4. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: If God chose us before the foundation of the world, what does that tell you about His foreknowledge?
Apply: How do you react to the thought that God not only knew you before you were born, but that He had chosen you to be saved and to live with Him throughout eternity?
Share: Your friend asks if Ephesians 1:4 teaches we are all predestined to be lost or saved with no choice of our own? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 3. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: Is it both exciting and important to be a part of God’s church? Why or why not?
Apply: What kinds of barriers between believers exist in our church that should not be there?
Share: Your friend asks how God has exceeded your expectations? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 4. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: What things does Paul tell believers to stop doing, and what things does he tell believers to do?
Apply: What are ways that we can contribute to the unity of our church, both at the local and worldwide levels? Why is it important to do what we can?
Share: Your friend asks how she can know what her spiritual gifts are? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 5. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: How does Paul ask us to live out the gospel in our relationship with others?
Apply: How can we walk in love as imitators of God in our lives? What hindrances do we face in that kind of walk?
Share: What is your main take away from the book of Ephesians?