Class Lesson October 17th

Hey Gang,

Sunday the 10th we will be in the Life Center during Sunday school listening to our Church's Kingdom Cause II question and answer opportunity.  The mission continues...

Sunday the 17th we will resume our series on Apologetics and making our case for Jesus by discussing why "Good" isn't good enough. 

Do good people go to heaven? Well, a grandmother of 90 years of good living, standing by her dying husband till the end, serving her community, loving her grandchildren, paying her taxes, and driving the speed limit ... is asked by her granddaughter, "Grandma, we've never really talked about heaven before. Are you sure that when you die you will go to heaven?" The grandmother got big tears in her eyes and responded the way the average good person responds to this question. She said, "I hope so, honey."

Why is it, that really good people at best can only "hope so" when it comes to knowing whether or not they will go to heaven? 

Well, we're going to talk about that, but first we have a special guest coming to our class this week to answer an empty-nest parenting question that is relevant to each of us.

Ask Dr. Phil

How possible is it to have a helpful discussion with your young adult children when we see them making fuzzy moral choices and they don't want our input?

Both questions above frame our lesson this week on The Case for Jesus. In our lesson we will see Dr. Phil, I mean Isaiah tell Judah that they have learned to rationalize their evil ways. (Isaiah 5:20-23) Next we will watch and read how Isaiah is given a vision of the holiness of God and what this means to how we see "Good." (Isaiah 6:1-5) And finally Paul will tie everything together in Romans 3:21-26 where he explains the importance of "Righteousness" through Jesus.  Why isn't good, good enough? Hope you have an answer for that.

This lesson is the halfway point in our overall series on Apologetics. Not that there's going to be a final exam or anything, but hopefully you are drawing some conclusions and explanations for the hope you have in your heart, the faith you have in Jesus, and the reason you have chosen to follow the Christian life. I don't know about you, but a turning point for me was the experience and revelation that Isaiah had in the presence of God... wow.

I can't wait to go through this lesson...see you on Sunday!

A couple of updates:

1. Class Prayer Groups - If you are interested in a Saturday morning prayer and support group, please contact Brenda Stephens for the ladies and Clif Dunaway for the men. 
2. Trunk or Treat - Our class will be sponsoring two "Trunks" Saturday, October 30th and having a coffee and dessert social following the Trunk or Treat event. All you have to do is bring a bag of candy (one bag per family) to the event and help give the candy out to the kids. 
3. Class Project - We are going to prepare, as a class project, 30 care packages for a unit of military personnel in Afghanistan right now serving our country. The plan is to prepare these packages and mail them out in time for Thanksgiving - what an opportunity to give thanks! Monica and Larand Spencer are facilitating this project and will update us in class on the 17th.

Have a blessed week everyone.

In His Love,

David and Susan 

 

October 10, 2010 Kingdom Cause II

This Sunday, October 10, 2010 will be EPIC! 

10:00am Sunday School Class Hour 

Family Life Center

We will meet in the Family Life Center during the Connect4 hour. We will have a time of fellowship and encouragement. Personal stories will be shared and a brief devotional will be given. This will also be a time for any questions you may have about Kingdom Cause II.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

We need to decide if we want to do a Class Trunk for this event. We need some feedback and a volunteer trunk to decorate for the evening. We can decorate it anyway we want as long as it's not scary! Also those of you that have kids in high school that need to collect volunteer hours, this is a good opportunity to do this. We were thinking that if the class wants to do this then we could have a mini-social following the trunk or treat event somewhere with coffee and dessert! You can post a comment on the blog or send me an email, but let's decide if this is something the class would like to do.

Class Prayer Groups

Don't forget the prayer groups being organized for Saturday mornings. Contact Brenda Stephens for the ladies prayer group and Clif Dunaway for the men's prayer group. Both are being scheduled for around 8:30am on Saturdays. Locations are still being worked out, but let's commit to these opportunities to pray and support one another. Contacts are below:

Brenda Stephens
(864) 963-8441  Home
bdstephens@charter.net


Clif Dunaway
(864) 967-8015  Home
csdunaway@yahoo.com

Class Lesson October 10th will now be October 17th - Join a Class Prayer Group

 

Hey Gang,

We had a great start to our new series on The Case for Jesus last Sunday. Our discussion was on why Sin is such a big deal. It's easy to forget the importance and impact that Sin had when it entered the world, but we know and understand that all of the suffering, pain, disease, natural disasters and calamity that we see and face in the world today is because of the Original Sin in Genesis. Our case for Jesus is the understanding (apologetic) that God knew man would Sin if given the choice and that the world would have to face consequences to this choice. The woman decided God must be wrong and the man decided God didn't matter. Both were acts of unbelief which is the essence of all Sin. Adam and Eve chose the way of death and rejected the way of life, but God in His mercy and grace has provided a Savior and plan of salvation from Sin's choice...His name is Jesus! 

Our next lesson is on Why "Good" Isn't Good Enough. You know, it's the good people go to heaven question...right? The logic flows something like this: There is a good God who lives in a good place reserved for good people. This God goes by many names. He is behind all major world religions. Therefore, all major, and possibly minor, religions provide a legitimate path to God and, therefore, heaven. The criterion for making it to this good place is to be good. Each religion has its own definition for good. But what they all have in common is that men and women must do certain things, and not do certain things, in order to assure themselves a spot in this good place with a good God. Make sense?


Now let me ask you this: If God appeared to you and asked, "Why should I let you into heaven?" How would you answer? Probably like this: "Well, I've always tried to ... , Well, I never ... , Well, I've done my best ..." Whether you question Muslims, Hindus, or Christians, the majority of the answers received to this question go back to an individual's attempt to live a good life. Why? Because most people believe that good people go to heaven. Here's the moral: Behave yourself now and you don't really need to worry too much about what happens next. The end. Now let's get back to work, golf, Little League, PTA and the pressing issues of this life! Stay tuned...in two weeks we'll see what God has to say about this.

This week we will be meeting in the Life Center during the C4 10:00 hour for a time of fellowship, encouragement and discussion about Kingdom Cause II. We will resume our series study the following week with this week's lesson on why good isn't good enough. 

Please be sure to give some serious thought to the ladies and men's prayer groups shown above. (Click on the picture to enlarge) I want to thank Brenda Stephens and Clif Dunaway for initiating and facilitating these Saturday morning opportunities for each of us to support and pray for one another. Please contact Brenda or Clif if you can and will commit to be a part of a group.

Also, Susan contacted the Church and found out that if we are interested in participating in "Trunk or Treat" Saturday, October 30, 2010 we just need to let the Church know. We can decorate one trunk or more anyway we like as long as it's not scary! The Church asks that we bring some candy, but that they will be going around to each trunk and refilling the candy being given out. We were thinking if the class is interested in doing this we could go out for coffee and dessert after the event for a mini-social time! Please contact Susan or me if you would like to participate and if you would like to offer up your trunk!

Hey everybody, we had some new members join our class Sunday...Thom and Susan Freeland. We want to welcome them and thank them for choosing our class to be a part. I also want to take a moment to thank Thomas and Marie Samoros as they have really taken to heart the "Build and Bring" concept to our Sunday school class. God continues to bless this class and we cherish each one of you that have been a part. See you Sunday. 

Have a blessed week!

In His Love,

David and Susan

 

Class Lesson October 3, 2010

 

Hey Gang,

We had a great closing lesson Sunday, to the 4 week series on making your case for hope. God is real and He exists! He has revealed Himself through His creation, His written word, His living Word (Jesus) and the inner craving (Spirit) we all have. We learned last week from C.S. Lewis that suffering in life is part of God's final plan, he said, "It is because God loves us that He makes us the gift of suffering ... the pain is part of the happiness, that's the deal."  We all understand that many times our suffering is simply a consequence of our own sin or maybe the sin of someone else. We know we live in a bent world in which bad things happen. We saw through the story of Job that our suffering sometimes isn't because of anything we have done, but that God may be testing our faith in some way.  Our testing may be in a single event we have to go through or over a period of time (Israel wandered for 40 years). Times like these we may or may not receive an answer to why we are suffering, this is part of our test to show God that we simply will trust in His purpose for all things and know that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Our lesson this past Sunday concluded with a great question and thought: just how involved is God in each of our daily lives? Isaiah 46:3-4 says, "I have carried you since you were born; I have taken care of you from your birth. Even when you are old, I will be the same. Even when your hair has turned gray, I will take care of you. I made you and will take care of you."(NCV) Wow, how differently would we live if we believed that every event of our lives, from the happy to the tragic to the mundane, were all part of a meticulous and purposeful design. What a beautiful thought, what a beautiful promise, what a beautiful truth, and what a beautiful hope. Can God do that? Would God do that? You better believe it! Remember  1 Peter 3:15 says for each of us to be prepared to give reason for the hope that we have.

This week we begin a 5 week series on The Case for Jesus. We will examine why people need a savior, why Jesus is the Savior they need, and how they ought to respond to Him. Our apologetic in this series is to be ready to give our defense to anyone who questions the validity of our faith in Jesus. Our first lesson is entitled "SIN IS A BIG DEAL." We will go back to the beginning as we learn how sin is defined in Genesis 3:1-6, then we'll examine the consequences of sin in Genesis 3:16-19, and 24, and finally we'll look at the fact that ... everyone sins, we'll read this in Romans 5:12-14.

This series on Apologetics has been pretty powerful for me. I can't wait to continue this week in the journey to knowing how to defend my faith ... God is an awesome God!

Those of you that were out this past Sunday...we missed you and hope to see you this Sunday!

Susan mentioned Sunday that we are in the planning stages for another class social...October 23, 2010 and then we'll be planning our Christmas party...can you believe that?

See you Sunday!

In His Love,

David and Susan 

Class Lesson September 26, 2010

Hey Gang,

This series on Apologetics is beginning to get very personal as we search for the answers to why we believe what we believe. Great discussion Sunday on why God allows suffering in this world. C.S. Lewis had each of us trying to get our arms around the possibility that God might actually want us to suffer. "It's because God loves us that He makes us the gift of suffering." Romans 8:28-30 is always comforting in times of suffering. Now if you can counter the following apologetic from Stephen Fry, then you are ready to move on to the next question: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR5hWbfZsYs

This week we take a close look at where God really is in your life. Where do you see Him? As an apologist, you will meet people who are Christians but struggle with their faith. You will also meet a great many people who acknowledge God's existence but have never taken a step of faith to commit to Christ because they are not sure that God really cares. What I mean by this is the question we sometimes feel: Does God really care about the details of my life? I have real fears that I will make the wrong decisions sometimes. I know that God has led me in the past, but this situation I'm going through right now is the toughest thing I've ever experienced, I need help. Another question or statement we hear a lot of people say is that Jesus was just a man, what can I say to this that connects them to the truth?

My daughter use to love the Bette Midler song: "From a Distance" here is a link, it's a beautiful song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5_YAj9lCQc&feature=related 

The sad thing is that many people see God this very way, from a distance. They believe that He wound up His creation only to step back and watch, leaving humanity with no hope of reaching out to a personal God for help. As you think about apologetics and making a case for hope, understand that your life is prime evidence for God's involvement in our world. You need to really give some thought this week to what God has actively done in your life up to this point. The Bible teaches that God is not merely the Creator but also the Sustainer of all things. We will begin with one of the greatest psalms in the Bible: Psalm 139:7-10, where David, as always, paints a beautiful picture of a God that is not only involved in our lives, but interested and engaged too. Then we'll take a look through Deuteronomy 8:2-5 at how God guides and provides. And what better way to close than to see through Philippians 2:5-11 a God that was so involved with His people that He stepped into history and became one of us...why did He do that? Why is it important to you that Jesus was God? Why is it important to you that Jesus was also human? 


This is our final lesson of the initial series on The Case for Hope. Our next series of 5 lessons will be on The Case for Jesus.

I want to thank each one of you for seriously exploring this journey into Apologetics. I believe that it will not only teach each of us defensible truths about our faith, but that it will also teach each of us something about who and where we are in our faith. Some of us have really struggled, some of us have really suffered, but as C.S. Lewis told us this past Sunday, "The pain is part of the happiness, that's the deal."

Have a blessed week everyone and we'll see you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David and Susan

Class Lesson September 19, 2010

Why does a loving God allow so much suffering and evil in the world?

Hey Gang,

Last week's lesson was a great start to our 13 week series on Apologetics. Some of you asked about the video we watched, so I have given you a link here to watch it again if you like:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwGvfdtI2c0

We began this series with 1 Peter 3:15-17 telling each of us that we should "be prepared" to explain and defend our faith to those that question why we believe as we do. We learned that the goal of an apologist is not to win an argument, but to lovingly explain why we believe. 

So here's the situation; you have a friend that admires your personal faith, but they tell you that they have some real doubts about whether or not God even exists. Last week's lesson helped us explain how God revealed Himself in creation, through the Bible and through Jesus, and  then we talked about that inner desire we all have to worship God even if we don't know Him.  So, you have some things to share as to why you believe God exists, right? Thomas Stephens brought up a great point, last week about people born in a Hindu country and not having any access to a Bible, how they could be expected to seek the same God. And then we read in Acts 17:26-27 "From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." Wow, so this was His plan and purpose, too! It's starting to get a little deep now...but I think there's a bigger picture here.

OK, so your friend is ready to admit that God exists (hallelujah), but this opens up a whole series of other questions now, like if God exists and He's this loving and caring Father in heaven, then why is there all this suffering and evil in the world? To be a little more specific,  a year ago my father passed away, I lost my job and I'm still unemployed, my wife has just gotten a bad report from the doctor, my savings is all but gone...where is this loving and caring Father in heaven now? Why is all of this happening to me?

What would you say to your friend, now that you're a trained apologist? This was the big question that sent Charles Templeton down the road of unbelief. Remember the mother in Africa holding her dead child because of the drought...Who controls the Rain?

Your lesson this week is going to take you back to the story of Job. Pay close attention to what happens to Job and why it happened...Job questions his suffering as well. Remember that no character in the Bible about whom we know anything in detail lived a pain free life. Paul will put our suffering into perspective in Romans 8 and close with God's good purpose. This is a  thought provoking lesson this week...be prepared to give an answer...if you can.

Hope everyone has a blessed week and we look forward to continuing the journey into apologetics this Sunday.

In His Love,

David and Susan 

Class Lesson September 12, 2010

 
Hey Gang,

Last week I wanted to open the class with this video, you can click on the link to watch:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44M6nCDFEg4

My reason in showing the video was to introduce a man by the name of Charles Templeton, I'll bet most of you never heard of him, I hadn't either. Anyway, Templeton was Billy Graham's "Best Friend." He also co-founded "Youth for Christ" and Billy was the first evangelist that they hired. Charles and Billy would travel worldwide and conduct many crusades together and Billy Graham would say that Charles Templeton was, "one of the few men I have ever loved in my life." But their directions in life would soon hit a crossroad and Billy would go one way and Charles would go another. We all know what happened to Billy Graham, but Charles Templeton in 1957, at the age of 42 would leave the ministry and become an Agnostic! 

His last book was "Farewell to God: my reasons for rejecting the Christian faith." Why? Because of Apologetics. Templeton had a lot of doubts about God that he couldn't explain, much less defend. He would tell Lee Strobel in an interview that it all began with a photograph. A picture in Life magazine of a black woman in northern Africa, where they were experiencing a devastating drought, holding her dead baby and looking up into heaven with the tortured look of Why? Templeton would say, "Why would a caring and loving God allow the death of an innocent child and torture this helpless mother when all they needed was Rain." 

Templeton had a lot of questions, some I've already shared, but he would also question why a loving and caring God would allow a devastating illness like Alzheimer's to destroy a person's mind and family. Interestingly Charles Templeton would die in 2001, at the age of 86 from the very disease he questioned. 

Our entire series over the next 12 weeks will be on Apologetics: Being able to explain and defend your faith to the skeptics of the world that don't believe. 1 Peter 3:15-17 says that we are all expected to be apologist and that we should expect and "be prepared" to give an answer for what we believe.

Our lesson this week is on the very existence of God, Charles Templeton's main doubt. There is an interesting close to Lee Strobel's writing on Charles Templeton that I will share this Sunday.