As
an introductory activity, write on a marker board: “People with hair shorter
than ear length may not speak or be spoken to.” Tell everyone they may spend a
few minutes socializing with each other, but they must keep this rule in mind.
Lift the restriction after a few minutes.
Ask:
How fair was it
to forbid some people to speak or be spoken to?
At work or in
your neighborhoods are people generally treated equally?
Does society
always treat everyone equally? Why or why not?
How might
society justify treating some people differently?
Do you think
injustice in the world is a minor or major problem? Explain your answer.
Say: People viewinjustices differently.
For example, Fight Back! Newspaper in Minneapolis, MN, asserts:
This newspaper exists to build the people's struggle! We
provide coverage and analysis of some of the key battles facing working and
low-income people. We are not "neutral" or "even-handed" in our coverage. We
are opposed to exploitation, discrimination, and oppression. We hold that
the rich class of people who run the economy and government of this country
are unfit to rule. We support all movements that challenge their power and
privilege.
Say: Real injustices in the world are
rampant, and more is on the horizon. For example, listen to Tony Snow’s May 7,
2007, White House Press Briefing.
Read:
I would go back to the Zawahiri [Al Queda leader] tape.
What Zawahiri was recommending …was, what the President has talked about for
some time now, which is a new caliphate, and a caliphate that would extend
across much of the world, and it was going to be trying to place much of the
world under the kind of oppression -- under the religious oppression that
most Americans -- it's not even religious; it is the terrorist oppression
that tends to misidentify itself as a religious movement, and to do it in
such a way as to terrorize people into surrendering their freedoms.
Introduce the book of Nahum (see page 34 of the leader guide
for more information). The prophet Nahum pronounced the Lord’s judgment on
Nineveh, the capital of Assyria and a place of evil.
Read or enlist a volunteer to read Nahum 1:1-3.
Ask:
What can we
learn about the nature of God from these verses?
What
characteristic of God surprises you or is hard to accept? Why? (If you
have Biblical Illustrator Plus CD-ROM for summer 2007, see
articles “A Jealous God” and “God’s Jealousy.”)
Explain what Nineveh had done to kindle the Lord’s wrath. Note that the words of
comfort in verse 3 are meant for Judah.
Ask: Why is God treating the two nations so differently?
From Explore the Bible Adult Leader Pack, Summer
2007, enlist a volunteer to read the first point displayed on the item 6
poster: “We can affirm God’s justice, understanding that prevalent
injustice reflects the Lord’s patience, not His indifference or His inability to
deal with it.”If you do not have the pack, write the
statement on the marker board.
Ask: How would you answer someone who says there are too many
injustices in the world to believe in a just God?
Affirm God's Nature (Nah. 1:7-8)
Enlist a volunteer to read Nahum 1:7-8
and ask learners to look for the contrasts described in the verses. Ask learners
to share their insights with the class.
Ask:
How do you
reconcile God’s wrath with God’s care?
Does
understanding God’s nature as expressed in these verses encourage you to
trust God to act justly, especially when it seems He’s not acting?
From Explore the Bible Adult Leader Pack, Summer 2007, enlist a
volunteer to read point #2 displayed on item 6 poster: “We can affirm
God’s justice, understanding His care for those who trust Him and His wrath
against the wicked.” If you do not have the leader pack, you may write this
statement on the marker board.
Say: Perhaps Judah questioned God after years of suffering
cruelties at the hands of the Ninevehites. But God always acts in a manner that
is consistent with His nature. Listen to how God’s goodness is moving believers
to act to correct injustice in this news story.
Read:
Adoption Summit to Be Held at Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family hosted the Evangelical Orphan Care
and Adoption Summit at its Colorado Springs headquarters on May 9-11. The
goal of this year’s event: to educate, mobilize and equip leaders in the
evangelical community to practically take on the challenge of local and
worldwide orphan care. [Church] leaders, including Rick Warren, Jim Daly,
Dennis Rainey and Steven Curtis Chapman, were in attendance.
Also present were presidents and CEOs from over 60
organizations, … represent[ing] government agencies, adoption services,
churches and parachurch ministries.
The summit was birthed out of the biblical mandate to
“look after orphans and widows in their distress,” and is a practical step
toward mobilizing the evangelical community worldwide to accomplish that
goal. Organizers plan on tangible results, including the sponsorship of
orphanages, the establishment of adoption support groups, and financial aid
initiatives, and, perhaps most importantly, the visible decline in the
number of orphans due to active and intentional adoption of children into
“forever families.”
“Historically, Christians have cared about orphans,”
said Andre. “And we still do. But we need to raise awareness of the
practical means for translating care into action. Churches and families need
the facts, resources, encouragement and support to take on this challenge in
a way that gets the job done. We want to see these children in permanent,
loving homes, and the goal of the summit is to support that mission with
greater purpose and urgency.”
Source: "Adoption Summit To Be Held at
Focus on the Family," May 8, 2007. Article available at
www.focusonthefamily.com
Allow learners to share any firsthand experiences with
helping orphans and widows.
Implement God's Standards (Nah. 3:1-7,19)
Say: These verses describe the standards by which the Lord
judges people and nations. While God’s avenging forces in these verses may seem
brutal to us, our holy God did what was ncessary to wipe out evil and destroy
His enemies.
Distribute paper and pens; divide learners into two groups.
Read or enlist a volunteer to read Nahum 3:1-7,19. Ask the
first group to identify Nineveh’s sins. Ask the other group to identify how God
would judge Nineveh. Allow time for learners to share their responses with the
class.
Ask:
How did Nineveh
play the harlot?
In what did she
put her trust (v. 4)?
Since the
Ninevehites had gotten away with their evil ways previously, do you
think they expected punishment now? Explain your answer.
In light of
what we’ve studied about God’s standards of justice, how do you respond
to the following news items from Iran Focus-Women?
Read:
Crackdown in Iran over dress codes
Thousands of Iranian women have been cautioned over
their poor Islamic dress this week and several hundred arrested in the
capital Tehran in the most fierce crackdown on what's known as "bad hijab"
for more than a decade.(April 27)
Official in
Iran capital calls for greater clampdown on women
An official at Tehran’s governorate
applauded the current nationwide crackdown on women who violate Iran’s
strict Islamic dress code but said the initiative did not go far enough.
(May 14)
Say: Although we are half a world away from
Iran and may feel helpless to cause change in this and other situations where
injustice seems rampant, there is something we can do.
From Explore the Bible Adult Leader Pack, Summer 2007, enlist a
volunteer read point #3 displayed on the item 6 poster: “We can help implement
God’s standards of justice by working for justice in our communities.” If you do
not have the leader pack, this statement can be written on the marker board
instead.
Ask:
Which of these injustices is a problem in your city,
town, or community?
Racial/cultural discrimination
Disregard for the needs of the poor & homeless
Disregard for the victims of abuse, violence &
crime
Prejudice against disabled people
Religious discrimination
What firsthand knowledge of combating these problems
does anyone in the class have?
Focus on one or two issues that seem most important to the
class. Discuss definite responses and actions learners can take to deal
with some of these issues. As a class, devise a plan of action for how the class
(individually and collectively) will take steps to work for justice in their
communities.
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.
EXTRA! Weekly Supplemental Teaching Plans
Adult
Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life EXTRA
June 17, 2007
Remember the Lord Is God
Ashley Linne
Deuteronomy 8:1-14,17-18
Before the Session
Download and copy the Discipline handout
for each group member.
Deuteronomy 8:1-5
Read Deuteronomy 8:1-5.
Say: Moses repeatedly reminded the Israelites of how God had
led them in the past and of God's instructions because he knew it was essential
to their well-being. He understood and wanted the Israelites to understand that
God gives His people instructions for their own good and so that their lives
will bring Him glory. Moses recounts how God led the people through the
wilderness. Although it was far from a fun and exciting experience for them, it
was one that would help them trust God and rely on Him totally. The Lord allowed
them to experience severe difficulties, but He always provided what they
needed to survive. The word that is translated as disciplining and
disciplines in verse 5 means to chasten, discipline, instruct, and
admonish. Indeed God was disciplining the Israelites, but it was for the purpose
of guiding them into the best way of living.
Distribute the Discipline handout
and allow time for the learners time to complete it.
Ask:
How might it
have been more difficult to arrive at the positive outcomes you listed
without having experienced the discipline, correction, or
humbling first?
Why does it
seem easier to praise God in times when things seem to be going well?
Why should we
praise God during times of discipline?
Read the following excerpt from "Streams in the
Desert" by Mrs. Charles Cowman:
God allowed the crisis to close around Jacob on the
night when he bowed at Peniel in supplication, to bring him to the place
where he could take hold of God as he never would have done; and from that
narrow pass of peril, Jacob became enlarged in his faith and knowledge of
God, and in the power of a new and victorious life.
God had to compel David, by a long and painful
discipline of years, to learn the almighty power and faithfulness of his
God, and grow up into the established principles of faith and godliness,
which were indispensable for his glorious career as the king of Israel.
Nothing but the extremities in which Paul was
constantly placed could ever have taught him, and taught the Church through
him, the full meaning of the great promise he so learned to claim, "My grace
is sufficient for thee."
And nothing but our trials and perils would ever have
led some of us to know Him as we do, to trust Him as we have, and to draw
from Him the measures of grace which our very extremities made
indispensable.
Difficulties and obstacles are God's challenges to
faith. When hindrances confront us in the path of duty, we are to recognize
them as vessels for faith to fill with the fullness and all-sufficiency of
Jesus; and as we go forward, simply and fully trusting Him, we may be
tested, we may have to wait and let patience have her perfect work; but we
shall surely find at last the stone rolled away, and the Lord waiting to
render unto us double for our time of testing. --A. B. Simpson
Source: "Streams in the Desert" by
Charles Cowman. Retrieved from
www.crosswalk.com
Deuteronomy 8:6-10
Read Deuteronomy 8:6-10.
Say: After another admonition to "keep the commands of the Lord
your God by walking in His ways and fearing Him" (v. 6), Moses told the
Israelites that God was taking them into an incredibly abundant land. They would
need to rely on God to to live successfully in this new land, just as they had
relied on Him to get through the wilderness. Moses also pointed out that they
would be moved to praise God for all He had done and provided. All of the
discipline they had endured was part of God’s plan for their lives, and He had
wonderful things in store for them.
Ask:
When was a time
that you didn’t understand what God was doing in your life until later?
How can we
maintain our trust in God when we don’t know the outcomes of difficult
situations?
What are some
things in your life that you praise God for?
Deuteronomy 8:17-18
Read the following news article:
’American Idol’ reflects Generation Y’s
definition of success
Oh, reality television -- how addicting! The United
Methodist superintendent obtained a new DVR in the winter. Since she had
never seen an episode of "American Idol," she decided to record one program.
The Rev. Katherine Conolly, the Salem-based
Western District superintendent for the church, described what happened
next.
"Even though it was my intention to only record
one episode, if you hold the button down just a second too long, you set the
DVR to record every episode."
She wrote of her experience in the Western Connection
newsletter that was quoted by Keizer Clear Lake United Methodist Church.
Conolly told of viewing that first show in January.
"It was depressing and sad to watch contestants
audition who clearly were allowed to try-out just so 'Idol' would be more
entertaining, in a train wreck kind of way. I swore that would be my first
and last time to watch 'American Idol.'"
Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your
viewpoint, her DVR kept on merrily recording the shows. Then in February,
Conolly sat and watched three more of them.
"And then I realized it had happened. I was horrified
-- but, it was too late -- I was hooked. I could not miss an episode."
Conolly told of hearing a National Public Radio story
about the esteemed Pew Research Center survey of Generation Y, young people
18 to 25 years old.
Their five top life goals were to get rich (81
percent), be famous (51 percent) help people in need (30 percent), be
leaders in the community (22 percent) and become more spiritual (10
percent).
"The message is ubiquitous -- success at least
equals wealth, and if you are lucky, fame as well. This is the American
Dream for this generation who want to be the next 'American Idol,'" Conolly
wrote.
She contrasted the message to one expressed during
Easter's Holy Week: "Success is remaining humble in the face of adulation.
Success is sacrificial giving. Success is loving unconditionally. Success is
being faithful to God. Success is forgiving one's enemies and friends."
The goals of the members of Generation Y polled are "a
complete reversal of the ones that Jesus set before us and modeled for us."
Source: “’American Idol’ reflects
Generation Y’s definition of success,” by Hank Arends, May 19, 2007.
Available at
http://statesmanjournal.com
Read Deuteronomy 8:11-14,17-18.
Say: Moses knew that once the
Israelites were settled and more comfortable with their new way of life, they
might become proud and think their prosperity resulted from their own work.
Moses very carefully warned the people to avoid such pride, encouraging them to
remember that it was God who had blessed them by fulfilling promises made to
them and their forefathers. While it can be very tempting for us to take credit
for our successes, we must honor God by remaining humble and giving Him the
credit He deserves.
Ask:
Why do you think wealth
can be such a huge stumbling block for some people?
What are some ways to
enjoy God’s blessings without worshiping them?
How do you define
success? How does your definition compare to God's?
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.
