Backgroiund Passage: 1 Peter 5:1-14
Lesson Passage: 1 Peter 5:1-14
Before the Session
Download and make copies of the worksheet by clicking on the title: Measures
of Success. Also have a marker board or large sheets of paper and felt-tip
markers available.
Lead by Example (1 Peter 5:1-4)
Guide learners to brainstorm ways to describe “suffering.”
List these on the board or a large sheet of paper.
Say: Suffering is nothing new. The usual distinction is not
whether, but how we’ll suffer. Sometimes suffering grows out of our daily
routines. Consider the impact of suffering in this illustration.
Read:
Millions Suffering from Workplace Stress
Millions of UK workers are likely to be suffering from depression and
panic attacks because they are so stressed out by their jobs, a survey has
found.
A recent survey in England by the internet-based research firm 24-7 found
that two-thirds of respondents had been made ill at work, with 48 percent of
these suffering from depression, and 43 percent suffering from anxiety or
panic attacks.
Among the findings of the survey were:
Eight out of 10 people have a problem juggling the competing demands
of work and home.
Eight out of 10 workers feel that at times they cannot cope with the
demands placed on them.
Stressed workers were nine times more likely to make a mistake at
work.
Source: “Millions Suffering from Workplace Stress,” 24-7, 12 April
2007, www.traniningzone.co.uk
Say: No one questions the significance stress has on our
lives. People generally face stress at work and home, and most people find ways
to deal with stress—even though too often the solutions are worse than the
stress for some people.
Then say: For first-century Christians in the Asian
churches, to whom Peter was writing to encourage, stress came at them from every
direction. These early followers of Christ experienced extreme stress from
non-believing family members, but also were persecuted for their faith.
Christians faced the loss of jobs, possessions, even their lives for their
beliefs.
Read or enlist a volunteer to read 1 Peter 5:1-4.
Point out that these verses provide instructions for how to
deal with some of the pressures and sufferings these Christians would face.
Explain the instructions Peter offered these Christians.
Then ask:
What good comes from suffering for our faith?
Should Christians today be willing to make serious sacrifices for their
faith? Why?
If we agree that we should be willing to suffer for Jesus, what are we
doing that places us in a position to be seen—and possibly persecuted—for
our faith?
What sacrifices have you made lately that were based on your faith in
Jesus?
Put Others First (1 Peter 5:5-7)
Say: Success is probably one of the most elusive experiences
of life. Everyone has an idea for how to be successful. A Google search using
the key word “success” yielded 331,000,000 responses—and in just a tenth of a
second! Listen to some tips from one of the sites.
Read:
Keys to success
Analysts from leading research groups offer feedback on what it takes to
make it in the world of e-business today.
Successful e-businesses understand that staying competitive requires
innovative thinking and the ability to shift Web site strategies at a
moment’s notice. According to Andrew Bartels, vice president and research
leader of Giga Information Group, “eBay took a lot of hits in terms of its
outages and selling practices, but they responded quickly and promptly,
revamped their focus, and are now very successful.”
Bartels pointed out in the article that e-businesses should offer
“multiple channels to their consumers.” He also noted that to ignore
traditional business practices is to invite failure and that e-businesses
should build their operations off sound business practices.
Source: “Keys to success,” Infoworld.com, 13 October 2000, www.infoworld.com.
Distribute the Measures of Success worksheet. Form groups of
three to five learners and ask them to complete the worksheet as groups. Point
out that some group members might rate items differently, so in some cases they
will need to come to a consensus on how to rate the items. Allow 5-10 minutes.
Ask each group to highlight their results. You might want to
write on the board or a large sheet of paper some of the responses to
definitions of success.
Explain that Peter had a simple key to success: living by
faith. He provided examples of how to live a successful life in these passages.
Read or enlist a volunteer to read 1 Peter 5:5-7.
Ask learners to identify the key word in these verses
(humility).
Then point out that Peter provides a solution to dealing
with many of life’s pressures: We are invited to cast our cares onto God.
Explain how this helps us maintain a humble attitude.
Ask:
How can we know that God really accepts our cares and will help us deal
with life’s pressures?
Why do we find it so difficult to give our concerns to God and then
release them?
How does our impatience hinder God’s ability to handle the cares and
pressures we try to give Him?
How can we solve this problem?
Always Be Alert (1 Peter 5:8-14)
Ask: Who is your worst enemy? Allow several responses. Make
sure that responses include “myself” and “Satan.”
Then say: Peter starts drawing this first letter to a close
by focusing on what we might call “Public Enemy Number One”: Satan, the
adversary. Everywhere we turn we can find evidence of Satan’s influence and
power.
Point out that the issue here is not whether Satan became
personified in this illustration, but that the presence of evil and Satan’s
power become recognizable in so many terrible crimes.
Read:
Boy on skunk cannabis butchered a grandmother
A teenager who was crazed by high-strength cannabis killed a grandmother
after “voices in his head” told him to stab a woman.
Ezekiel Maxwell, a paranoid schizophrenic, launched the horrific attack
after years of smoking super-strength “skunk weed.” The 17-year-old claimed
“gangster voices” from the ultra-violent computer game Grand Theft Auto had
set him on a mission to stab a black woman.
He is the second teenage cannabis addict in a month to be found guilty of
killing others after smoking the substance. Thomas Palmer, 18, was jailed
for life for murdering his two friends with a hunting knife near their homes
in Wokingham, Berkshire.
Maxwell prowled the streets with a kitchen knife until he came across
Carmelita Tulloch as she walked to her job at a photocopying firm. He
stabbed her seven times, leaving her to die in a pool of blood as he fled
home to his family.
Source: “Boy on skunk cannabis butchered a grandmother,” The Daily Mail,
03 April 2007, www.infoworld.com
Say: Satan’s influence can be found in countless sources and
ways. Certainly the use of illicit drugs such as the cannabis plant reflects the
influence of evil that permeates life in this world. Of course, it’s easy to
blame Satan for these tragic events, but the problem lies in the hearts of
individuals who choose to commit crimes and abuse their bodies.
Maxwell at some point made a conscious decision to use illegal drugs. His
choice of drugs—choosing one of the most powerful available—reflected the evil
that entices perfectly normal people daily.
Read or enlist a volunteer to read 1 Peter 5:8-14.
Note that Maxwell “prowled the streets” looking for his victim. Compare this
with Peter’s description of how Satan seeks prey much like a lion prowls for
food. Continue by commenting carefully on these verses and noting that
anyone—without exception—can be enticed to commit sinful actions. Certainly not
all sins are as extreme as the ones mentioned in the news excerpt, but even
small sins can separate us from God’s love and influence, and can open doors to
greater sins down the road.
Ask:
How can sin create a domino effect in our lives? (Point out that the
more we sin, the further we move away from the Holy Spirit’s ability to warn
us about sin’s consequences.)
How can adults create barriers against sin’s influence?
How can we help one another limit the influence Satan has on us?
EXTRA! is a supplement designed
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LifeWay Church Resources.
EXTRA! is produced by Publishing
Services and Multimedia, LifeWay Church Resources, Copyright 2007, LifeWay
Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
SPECIAL NOTE: Some Internet
addresses given in EXTRA! are outside the LifeWay Internet domain. Because of
the changing nature of the Web, EXTRA! editors cannot be held responsible for
content on pages outside their control. At the time of this posting, the
specific pages mentioned have been viewed and approved by the EXTRA! editorial
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possibly could link to inappropriate material.
EXTRA! Weekly Supplemental Teaching Plans
Adult
Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life EXTRA
April 29, 2007
Steadfast Faithfulness
Ashley Linne
Background Passage: John 15:18-16:4
Focal Verses: John 15:18-16:4
Before the Session
Enlist volunteers to read the stories of persecuted Christians and to lead in
prayer after reading each story.
John 15:18-25
Begin by telling the class that they will be praying for persecuted
Christians throughout the lesson. Read Hebrews 13:3 to the group as well.
Read John 15:18-25.
Say:
Before explaining how the world would persecute them, Jesus commanded
His disciples to love one another. In the preceeding verses, Jesus instructed
the disciples to love one another so that the world would know they were His
followers.
Ask:
Describe some of the characteristics and actions of those who genuinely
love others.
Why might this kind of love cause people of the world to hate
Christians?
Say: There were more Christian martyrs in the 20th century than in all the
previous centuries combined, and many have been persecuted and martyred in the
21st century as well. Today we will hear about a few incidents of persecution
that happen around the world on a daily basis .
Ask the first volunteer to read the following news article:
LIAONING PROVINCE, China – On March 14, local police arrested 54-year-old
house-church leader, Gu Changrong, in Fushun City, Liaoning Province, after
she shared her faith with the secretary of the Communist Party in her
village. According to China Aid Association (CAA), Yu Mingfu called the
police and accused Gu of "poisoning Communist Party members with the
Christian message." According to Gu's relatives, she has been sentenced to
one-year of re-education through labor for "using evil cult organizations to
obstruct the exercising of state laws." The family has not received a formal
notice of her sentence since her arrest, according to CAA. Gu is serving her
sentence at Ma San Jian Labor Camp, which is known for its harsh treatment
and torture against thousands of imprisoned Falun Gong members.
Ask the same volunteer to pray for Gu and her family.
John 15:26-27
Read John 15:26-27.
Ask: Can you recall a time when you faced a difficult situation, and the
Holy Spirit gave you the perfect words to say?
Say: Even in the face of hatred and difficult situations, Jesus commands us
to love others, to tell others about Him, and to share what He has done in our
lives. Jesus knew His followers would have need the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
empowers and equips us to share our faith with others.
Ask another volunteer to read the following news article:
NEW DELHI, India, April 11 (Compass Direct News) –At least three pastors
were attacked and 70 Dalit Christians were “reconverted” to Hinduism on
Easter Sunday. On Maundy Thursday police arrested a fourth pastor on false
charges of “conversion.”
These incidents followed violent attacks on two Palm Sunday processions and
the beating and torture of yet another pastor during the Lenten season.
Dharma Sena (Religious Army) militants attacked Christians April 1 (Palm
Sunday), injuring seven Christians during final prayers at St. Paul’s
Church, of the Church of North India denomination in Gokulpur, Jabalpur,
Madhya Pradesh. In the second incident, two Christians in Damoh district
suffered serious head injuries in an attack by unidentified extremists on a
procession largely comprised of Sunday school children from local churches.
The attack occurred as the group stopped at a shop for sugar cane juice.
Hindu extremists beat two pastors of Believers’ Church on April 8 (Easter)
in Salwa village in Mandla district.
Extremists visited the house of two young pastors, Dinesh Toppo and Chandan
Chhinchani, in Salwa village in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla district on Easter
and began interrogating them, a local source told Compass. Toppo and
Chhinchani moved to Salwa village about three months ago to lead a local
Believers’ Church run by Gospel for Asia.
The extremists ransacked the house and beat the pastors. Then they forcibly
dragged them from the house, and hit and kicked them, hurling insults as
villagers watched. The attackers alleged that the pastors were indulging in
“conversion” and sex trade.
Later that day, local police summoned the Christians to the station for
interrogation, as the attackers had lodged a false complaint against them.
The police arrested the pastors April 9, but they were subsequently released
on bail.
Hindu extremists had launched two earlier violent attacks on Christians on
Palm Sunday (April 1) in two separate incidents in Jabalpur and Damoh
districts of Madhya Pradesh. At least nine Christians received injuries in
the attacks.
Taken from “Christians in India face more attacks as Lenten season ends,”
Compass Direct News/Open Doors International, April 11. Full article
available at
www.opendoorsusa.org/
Ask the same volunteer to pray for those who are
experiencing persecution throughout India.
John 16:1-4
Read John 16:1-4.
Say: Being banned from the synagogue in Jesus' day was like being disowned
by one’s family and community. Jesus warned the disciples that there would be
those who would make it their mission to kill His followers. Jesus wanted the
disciples to know these things so that they wouldn’t lose heart in the face
of trials and persecution. In light of this, it is easy to see why Jesus told
them the Holy Spirit would be their Counselor and Comforter.
Ask:
Are you willing to follow Jesus even if it mean sacrificing your family?
your financial security? your friends? even your life?
How can you prepare today to be faithful in tomorrow's struggles?
Ask a third volunteer to read the following news article:
SANTA ANA, Calif. (April 3, 2007) – Sudanese Muslim Shiraz Fatharrahman
began her journey towards Christianity shortly after she started college.
“My journey with Jesus started as early as May 24, 2004, five months after I
joined Khartoum University. The first book I read about Jesus was
anti-Christianity,” she wrote in her diary on May 12, 2006. “I did not know
what made me search for the gospel but I think God was looking for me as I
was looking for Him.”
She knew her pursuit would involve risks. “Reading the Bible in the house
was a fearful idea,” she wrote, but she added that “the important thing is
that I found the Bible and started to read … I read the Bible and every time
my conviction grew more and more. I call this the journey of searching for
the truth or the journey of light.”
But eventually her fears came true. “When my family learned that I was
reading the Bible, they beat me severely and threatened to kill me because
they considered me as one who does not believe in God.”
She searched for a safe place to live, and in March 2006 she found one. “I
went to live with a Christian lady. Now, I am no longer going to university;
security is a risk. The situation was difficult.”
But when she didn’t return to her family home after several days, her
parents reported her missing. Two days after she made her diary entry,
police arrested six men—at least three of them Christian—for kidnapping
Shiraz. The charges were based solely on the fact that she was missing and
that her parents had found the men’s telephone numbers in her cell phone.
Shiraz had approached at least one of those arrested, Episcopal Rev. Elia
Komondan of All Saints Cathedral, in her search for asylum from her family.
She had shown him the scars from the beatings she had received, but he was
not able to help her.
When Shiraz discovered that people had been arrested over her disappearance,
she turned herself in to police. The six men were then released, but there
is concern for Shiraz as nothing has been heard from her since she was
forced back into her family.
Source: Open Doors USA, April 2007. Article available from:
www2.opendoorsusa.org.
Ask the same volunteer to pray for Shiraz and her family.
Say:
We have looked at just a few of the stories of those who have remained faithful
to Jesus despite great danger. Let’s continue to pray for our brothers and
sisters worldwide who continue to love others in the face of persecution.
Also encourage group members to remain faithful when they experience hatred in
response to their love for Jesus here in the United States. Encourage them to
always respond in love to those who may show hostility toward them.
Here are just a few organizations that help raise awareness of the
persecuted church around the world:
Voice of the Martyrs, www.persecution.com Open Doors, www.opendoorsusa.org Compass Direct News, www.compassdirect.org International Christian Concern, www.persecution.org World Serve Ministries,
www.worldserve.org
Remember to pray for the families of the victims of the Virginia
Tech shooting two weeks ago.
EXTRA! is a supplement designed
to enhance and expand the effectiveness of printed curriculum provided by
LifeWay Church Resources.
EXTRA! is produced by Publishing
Services and Multimedia, LifeWay Church Resources, Copyright 2007, LifeWay
Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
SPECIAL NOTE: Some Internet
addresses given in EXTRA! are outside the LifeWay Internet domain. Because of
the changing nature of the Web, EXTRA! editors cannot be held responsible for
content on pages outside their control. At the time of this posting, the
specific pages mentioned have been viewed and approved by the EXTRA! editorial
staff. However, at the time of your viewing, the information on these pages may
have changed. Links from the specific page addresses referenced in this material
possibly could link to inappropriate material.
