5/27/2007

EXTRA!
Weekly Supplemental Teaching Plans

Adult

Explore the Bible
ETB Adult EXTRA

May 27, 2007

Maximum Effort Is Required
Richard E. Dodge

Backgroiund Passage: 2 Peter 3:1-18
Lesson Passage: 2 Peter 3:3-12,14,17-18

Before the Session

Folly of Denial (2 Peter 3:3-7)

Say: Psychologists would define the word denial in a variety of ways, but most would agree that denial includes ignoring facts or truths that generally are evidently true. Denial can result from using the wrong information as the basis upon which to make decisions as well as from intentionally refusing to see all sides of an issue with impartiality.

Some might say Texas Governor Rick Perry made a hasty decision in his recent recommendation to state legislators regarding handguns, causing some to become skeptical of the governor’s wisdom in his recommendation.

Read:

Idea to allow handguns anywhere draws skepticism, support

Governor Rick Perry says licensed gun owners in Texas should be free to carry their concealed handguns anywhere, including schools, bars, and courthouses.

“Let me cover it right here. I think a person ought to be able to carry their weapon with them anywhere in the state, so long as they have a license, Perry said recently.

As the nation considers ways to prevent mass shootings like the one that killed 33 on the campus of Virginia Tech, Perry says people packing heat in more places means protection.

“I think it make sense for Texans to protect themselves from deranged individuals, whether it’s in church, or whether on a college campus or wherever they are,” he said.

The idea doesn’t sit well with some Central Texas lawmakers.

Source: Elise Hu, “Idea to allow handguns anywhere draws skepticism, support,” KVUE-TV, 1 May 2007, www.kvue.com

Editor's Note: Be careful not to allow the discussion spiral out of control on the issues of handguns and gun control. The intent of these questions is to create a platform for addressing how decisions to use lethal force would be so subjective that innocent bystanders would be placed at risk. Move to the lesson-related questions quickly.

Ask:

How do you feel about the right to protect yourself against “deranged individuals”?
How do we determine who a “deranged” individual is?
Who has the right to make that decision?
What does Peter say about people who decide to follow their own passions?

Read or enlist a volunteer to read 2 Peter 3:3-7.

Ask:

Do churches today have members who want to follow their own passions and agendas? Explain your answer.
Why are such people harmful to the church? The members? The unchurched?

Certainty of Christ's Return (2 Peter 3:8-10)

Say: We’ve all heard the adage, “Don’t ask; don’t tell.” But failing to disclose some elements of our lives can lead to considerable embarrassment, especially for someone who heads one of the nation’s major media conglomerates. Listen to this story.

Read:

Sun-Times Media Group Keeping CEO Who Breached 'Duty' To Tell Of Grand Jury Probe

CHICAGO Sun-Times Media Group (STMG) CEO Cyrus Freidheim breached his fiduciary duty by not disclosing he was investigated by a grand jury while heading another company, the Chicago newspaper chain said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) late Monday.

But the filing added its board of directors -- in an apparently divided vote -- decided not to fire the turnaround expert.

Freidheim was CEO at Chiquita Brands from 2002 to 2004, a time when the banana company made payments to the a right-wing paramilitary, according to a federal grand jury investigation. In a March plea agreement provisionally accepted by a federal court, Chiquita pleaded guilty to a single count of making payments to a terrorist organization, and agreed to pay a $25 million fine.

According to the SEC filing, Freidheim had been informed that he was a subject of the investigation, which probed payments by Chiquita between 1997 and 2004. Freidheim also testified twice before the grand jury, the filing said.
The Sun-Times Media Group board launched its own inquiry into how the matter might affect the chain, which publishes the Chicago Sun-Times and dozens of other area newspapers.

The board determined that Freidheim should have disclosed the fact that he was under investigation and had testified, the filing, an amendment to STMG's annual report, said.

"The board determined that such disclosure should have been made to the company's board at the time when he was elected to the board and later when he had a fiduciary duty as a director and was elected as president and CEO," the filing said. "Although the board concluded that Mr. Freidheim breached his duty to disclose this matter to the company, a majority of the board concluded that, in its business judgment, Mr. Freidheim's continued leadership as president and chief executive officer at this time is in the best interests of the company."

STMG has suffered financial losses as it recovers from the effects of alleged pilfering of millions by its ousted chairman Conrad Black and his lieutenant David Radler, plus the fallout from a circulation scandal at its flagship tabloid. Black is on trial in federal court in Chicago on charges related to the alleged looting. Radler reached a plea bargain in the matter and is scheduled soon to testify against Black and three other former executives of the company, which was then known as Hollinger International.
Freidheim, who has built a reputation turning around troubled companies, was named CEO in November. STMG has scheduled a May 16 conference call to outline its business plan to analysts.

Neither Freidheim nor a company spokesperson could be reached late Monday.

Source: Mark Fitzgerald, "Sun-Times Media Group Keeping CEO Who Breached 'Duty' To Tell Of Grand Jury Probe," Editor and Publisher, 30 April 2007, www.editorandpublisher.com

Ask:

Do you really think passages that say everything will be revealed or disclosed are true?
Explain why you do or don't believe such passages.

Read or enlist a volunteer to read 2 Peter 3:8-10.

Say: Apparently Freidheim didn’t think that disclosing a government probe and the subsequent financial settlement were important. Yet his failure to disclose this information might have been very costly, if not embarrassing, for someone whose corporation is an ardent defender of first-amendment rights and the rights of the press to obtain information.

Peter had strong words to say to the Asian Christians, admonishing them to behave properly because ultimately everything they did would be disclosed.

Point out that Peter’s reference to the “Day of the Lord” (v. 10) will be a time when all of our sins will be revealed as well as the good things we have done.

Ask:

Why should we be careful about our actions if forgiveness has washed away our sin?
How does Peter describe the Day of teh Lord?

Use the discussion questions in the teaching plan to add to this discussion.

Implications for Believers (2 Peter 3:11-12,14,17-18)

Ask:

Is good judgment important for society today? For the church? Why?
Should people be held responsible for their decisions and whether or not they used good judgment in making those decisions? Explain your answer.

Read:

Lapse of judgment doomed Lidle

Proper planning and better judgment could have allowed Yankees pitcher and pilot Cory Lidle to successfully make a sharp turn that instead resulted in a fatal crash last year, according to investigators. Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, were killed when their plane crashed into a Manhattan building. But they could have avoided the turn entirely, the National Transportation Safety Board found.

The pair could have asked air traffic controllers for permission to fly north into restricted airspace, or to increase their altitude and fly directly over Manhattan. They also could have flown over Manhattan without contacting air traffic control, although they might have faced penalties for such a maneuver.

Instead, Lidle and Stranger—it’s unknown who was piloting the Cirrus SR-20—chose to exe3cute a difficult turn in crowded airspace. The NTSB’s six-month investigation found that the pair apparently did not account for a crosswind that pushed them toward an apartment building.

“That was the misjudgment that took place here,” according to a NTSB member.

Source: David Michaels, “Lapse of judgment doomed Lidle,” The Record, 2 May 2007, www.northjersey.com

Ask:

What factors could have contributed to the error of judgment suggested in the article?
What does this accident say about the certainty of errors in judgment?

Read or enlist a volunteer to read 2 Peter 3:11-14,17-18

Ask:

Why did Peter warn the Asian Christians avoid being careless about their conduct?
What does Peter say about the certainty of judgment and the failure to make good decisions?
How can we know when our decisions are based on sound judgment or faulty standards?

Close by encouraging learners to make every effort to live holy, godly lives.

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EXTRA! is a supplement designed to enhance and expand the effectiveness of printed curriculum provided by LifeWay Church Resources.

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EXTRA!
Weekly Supplemental Teaching Plans

Adult

Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life EXTRA

May 27, 2007

Be Reconciled
Ashley Linne

Background Passage: Genesis 50:15-21; Matthew 5:21-26; Colossians 3:12-17
Focal Verses: Genesis 50:15-21; Matthew 5:23-24; Colossians 3:12-15

Before the Session

Download the Reconciliation handout and make enough copies for all group members.

Genesis 50:15-21

Read the following news article:

Kidney transplant reunites divorcing couple

ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A couple who grew apart and had agreed to split up were reunited by a life-threatening crisis.

After more than 10 years of marriage, Chip and Cindy Altemos agreed about 5 years ago to separate, see other people, and begin divorce proceedings. But when 48-year-old Chip was hospitalized with kidney failure in September, Cindy, 49, offered him one of hers.

The two, of South Whitehall Township, agreed to separate because of "all the woes and troubles" they brought from previous marriages.

But Cindy Altemos, on the verge of being Chip's ex-wife, said this week: "He was still my husband."

As a former phlebotomist who had worked with renal patients, Cindy Altemos said she knew "exactly what he was up against," and had long thought he would eventually need a transplant because he had had juvenile diabetes. When they married she had promised to be a donor.

"There was no way I could walk around with two kidneys and he had none," she said. "It was the right thing to do."

The transplant took place February 21.

Chip Altemos said his wife's gesture put an end to his new relationship and to talk of divorce. The two will be married 17 years in October.

"We're still together," he said. "I guess just being around each other, we slowly fell back in love again."

Source: “Kidney transplant reunites divorcing couple,” Associated Press, May 4, 2007. Article available at www.cnn.com

Read Genesis 50:15-21.

Joseph went above and beyond when it came to his brothers, even after all of the evil they had done to him (recall how they hated him so much that they sold him into slavery). He was ready and willing to forgive, move past the offenses, and do good to his brothers and their families. It seems that Joseph had predetermined how he would react when or if his brothers asked his forgiveness.

Ask:

How would Joseph define reconciliation?
What are some steps to reconciliation that Joseph might have taken, so that he could respond in such a loving manner to his family?

Matthew 5:23-24

Read Matthew 5:23-24.

In these verses, Jesus emphasizes the importance of right relationship over ritual. It is very difficult to worship in spirit and in truth when we know there is someone we should be asking for forgiveness. Even if our attempts at reconciliation are rejected, we must do our part in seeking restoration of the relationship.

Ask:

Can you recall a time when you asked someone to forgive you and they refused?
How did you respond?
Why is it so important to ask for forgiveness when we know we have offended someone?
What prevents us from taking steps towards reconciliation?

Read the following news article:

Falklands enemies meet at last

Monday, April 2 marked the 25th anniversary of the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands. More than 900 British and Argentine soldiers died in the war which followed.
Many of those who survived suffered emotional problems as a result. The BBC News website followed one of them as he went in search of his former enemies.

As he strolls through the busy streets of Buenos Aires, Mike Seear is every inch the retired British army officer.

The buttons on his blazer gleam. His regimental tie is knotted in a neat half-windsor.

Twenty-five years ago, he fought for Queen and country in the Falklands.

Now he has come to Argentina on a journey of reconciliation.

'Closely connected'
"I really get a tremendous amount out of meeting the 'other side' - people that I was once trying to fight and kill."

Mike suffered post traumatic stress after the war. He hopes that by sharing his experiences with other veterans, they will be able to heal their psychological wounds together.

But often these reunions can be very painful.

He is close to tears as he meets Esteban, Juan and German; three Argentine soldiers who fought him at Tumbledown, one of the war's most infamous battles.

They were artillery gunners who bombarded Mike's unit as it approached.

"Two of the shells they fired landed within 10 metres of me. But they were both duds.

"If they had exploded, there's no way I would be here, meeting them today.

"I've never met two people so closely connected to my life in the war. It's a really emotional moment."

Many of the soldiers who survived the fighting were deeply emotionally scarred. Mike's three new friends were too ashamed to talk about their wartime experiences for 24 years.

But today they can laugh and joke with their former enemy.

He may have defeated them on the battlefield, but now he is helping them defeat their inner demons.

Source: Jack izzard,“Falklands enemies meet at last,” BBC News, 1 April 2007. Article available at http://news.bbc.co.uk

Colossians 3:12-15

Read Colossians 3:12-15.

Paul has been writing to the Colossian believers about how to live now that they are walking anew in Christ. An essential part of this new life is seeking peace with each other. Paul uses a Greek word for peace that literally means a state of national tranquility; exemption from the rage and havoc of war. In these verses, Paul is addressing the person who has been offended. When someone has hurt us, it is important for us to go to them and make the first step toward reconciliation. Knowing the extent to which Jesus has forgiven our sins should make us to willing forgive one another without hesitation. The world will know us by our love for one another, and as we’ve been studying for the past few weeks, it’s quite difficult to truly love someone we haven’t forgiven.

Note that the Greek word used in these verses for forgive comes from the word for grace. When we forgive, it is not based on the person’s worthiness of forgiveness. It is an unmerited gift of favor that we can give them, freeing not only them but ourselves also.

Distribute the Reconciliation handout and give participants time to complete it.

Ask:

How might Jesus be asking you to modify your normal response to offenses?
How can this group prayerfully support you in turning away from what is normal toward that which is godly?

Be sensitive to the needs of your group. Some may not be comfortable discussing this with the group and may prefer to contemplate on their own. If the group is comfortable sharing, divide learners into pairs to discuss these questions.

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EXTRA! is a supplement designed to enhance and expand the effectiveness of printed curriculum provided by LifeWay Church Resources.