Class Lesson October 31st

Hey Gang,

A special thanks to Scott Ballew for teaching for me last Sunday! I missed everyone and I can't wait to jump back in to our series on making "The Case for Jesus." This middle part of our overall series on "Apologetics" began by getting each of us to realize and understand the seriousness of sin and the fact that everyone has sinned. The following week we talked about the common notion of trying to improve ourselves enough that God would find us as acceptable and allow us into heaven as a reward for our good behavior. But wait, Paul told us that no one is good, no...not even one! Jesus answered the rich young ruler when addressed as Good Teacher, "Why do you call me good, no one is good except God." So is it not true that good people go to heaven? Well, the interesting thing about that is this ... if you ask most good people if when they die will they go to heaven, the most common response is "I hope so." What kind of hope is that? We learned that "Good" will never be good enough and that this kind of hope is nothing more than an unachievable effort to earn God's favor - you can't win! Why? Because you don't get it, and you clearly don't understand the case for Jesus if this is where you are. 

So, last week our lesson explored just what makes Jesus so different from  any other teacher or founder of a religion in history. Well, we learned that Jesus was unique in that He rose from the dead, never to die again - different than any other religious person in history. We learned that His teachings and miracles demonstrated that He was more than just another teacher or prophet. And did you know that there is no reliable historical data out there today that  shows that any founders of the world's major religions ever claimed to be God, but Jesus did! Why? Because He is God! And what could be more different than that. 

This week we explore the apologetic that Jesus is the only way to God.  Now, many people our age realize that Christianity is important, but also feel that other religions are important too. Some think that it sounds a little intolerant to say that Jesus is the only way to God. Why couldn't there be other ways and expressions that lead to the same God? What about those people that have never heard of Jesus, but are following a moral path that they believe leads to God? We will look at three answers to this question: first, we will read the most well-known verse in the Bible - John 3:16-18 to see the importance of Jesus being God's One Son. Secondly, we will read John 14:6-11 to explore how Jesus described Himself as the One Way to God. And our third answer will come through Paul's letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:3-6) where he warns Timothy that there will be many false teachers out there that will try to say that there are other ways, but that there is only One God, One Son and One Way - sounds pretty consistent to me...there must have been a plan. 

You know we were very fortunate to have Dr. Phil in the class a couple of weeks ago, but guess who I've got coming in this week?

 OPRAH WINFREY

We are going to see what she has to say about this question of Jesus being the only way - should be interesting. 

Class News:

This Saturday our class is participating in the church's Trunk or Treat event.

We have four cars assigned and each family should be getting a letter from the church with specifics about the event. We are all suppose to be at the church at 5:30 on Saturday with our candy - those of you that are using your trunks will be given parking assignments in your letter. Remember that afterward we are having a coffee and dessert social at "The Man Cave" better known as the Dewald's home! Be sure and let Traci and Joe know that you're coming for a headcount and directions to their home. 

Also, we are in the final week of collection and preparation for our class project: Operation Thanksgiving in Afghanistan. All of you should have received Monica and Larand's email this week, so be sure to show-up Sunday and help us wrapped up this special gift of thanks from our class to 18 soldiers serving in Afghanistan for our country. This is a busy week ahead for everyone and I pray that it's a blessed one as well.

See you Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan 

     

Class Lesson October 24th

Hey Gang,

Dr. Phil gave us some good advice Sunday, on how to deal with adult children that make fuzzy moral choices and don't want our advice. Our guests on the show were parents of an adult daughter that made a choice against their wishes to live with her boyfriend outside of marriage. The daughter at the time believed that it was the right thing to do, after all, the boy said he loved her and wanted to marry her, but it turned out terribly bad. Now the daughter feels guilty, used, and ashamed, but also angry at her parents and blames them for letting her live with this boy. 

What was Dr. Phil's advice?

To the daughter, he said, first and foremost you are not alone - everyone makes mistakes. Secondly, you have to stop blaming your parents - you made a grown-up decision and you are facing a grown-up consequence for that decision.

When the audience was asked what else they thought the parents could have done, they felt that it was important that the daughter be given scriptural reasons for why this was wrong and that she understand that God is the standard by which we should measure all choices made. When God's Word is not the standard for our choices, then all choices seem fine. Parents need to reinforce that God is the standard for right and wrong in all matters of life and it would help to live it as well. Lessons caught as well as taught - "I rather see a sermon than hear one, any day."

We learned that Jesus Christ was the daughter's only answer to her situation. She needed to surrender to Him, repent and receive His forgiveness. Her guilt was actually a sign that God was already working in her life and that through His forgiveness she could start a purposeful life over again. Her sin is no different than ours, for we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  It's important for us to understand that our efforts to improve ourselves in order to be good enough for God is not what it's all about. You will never earn God's acceptance! Goodness is replaced with forgiveness and righteousness.

This lesson spoke to three basic issues with why good is never going to be good enough and the age old question of whether good people go to heaven. 

1. Evil Rationalized - Isaiah 5:20-23 "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil..." This is where we all are and we all fall short of God's standard in different areas of our lives. Paul says to us in Romans 3:12 "there is none who does good, no, not one..." We talked about how our society has fallen into "Moral Confusion" about what's really right and wrong, many times under the false idea of Tolerance.
2. Righteousness Realized - Romans 3:21-26 "...This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." This is where we all want to be..."justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."  But something has to happen many times for us to realize true righteousness...stay with me.
3. Holiness Recognized - Isaiah 6:1-5. Isaiah is called up into the very presence of God and is overwhelmed by God's sovereignty. It makes him feel dirty beyond anything but simple expression, helplessly weak and feeling that he is doomed. He says, "Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Wow...this is how we get to a realized righteousness through the recognition of God's holiness.  This is what the daughter was experiencing and feeling with Dr. Phil - she felt convicted. What does it take for us to experience that right mix of fear and devotion to God?

Do good people go to heaven? No, because no one is good except God alone, but forgiven people do - forgiveness made possible by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ - this is the case for Jesus. This righteousness has nothing to do with who we are, but everything to do with Who God is. One of the most powerful evidences (apologetics) that God is real is the way He changes human beings. Don't settle for your unreliable standards. Apply God's standard of holiness to every part of your life - today!

This week I will be out, Susan will be there, and we will have a guest teacher, but I have laid out the lesson for the week and it's a great one as we continue to make the case for Jesus. This week answers the question: What's so different about Jesus?

Take a look at all of the light bulbs in the header above, they all look similar don't they? But only one actually gives light. The others either have no power source or simply are not real. In a similar way, some people want to say that all religious leaders are essentially the same and lead to the same God. But in real life, only Jesus has the power and identity to actually give light.

Many don't deny that Jesus is an important religious teacher, but how is He any different from other great religious leaders in history? Take a stroll this week through the Bible and see how Jesus' teachings (John 6:66-69), miracles (John 9:17, 24-25, 31-33, 35-38) and resurrection (John 20:27-29) all give evidence that He is God.

Hey everyone, guess what...Jim and Esther Best are back! Be sure to say hello and welcome them to our class this Sunday. We missed all of you that were out Sunday!

Don't forget about our class project: Operation Thanksgiving in Afghanistan. We took up a collection Sunday and we will collect again over the next two Sundays for the project. See Larand and Monica Spencer for details. Also, we are set for Trunk or Treat night October 30th and our coffee and dessert social after the event - put it on your calendar! I heard a rumor that Joe Dewald might open the "Man Cave" for the social. Also, there is a special prize for the class that has the highest participation for Trunk or Treat - sounds like a challenge to me.

Hope everyone has a blessed week and I'll see you in two weeks.

In His Love,

David & Susan

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