7/22/2007

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EXTRA!
Weekly Supplemental Teaching Plans

 

Adult

Explore the Bible
ETB Adult EXTRA

July 22, 2007

Dependence
Carole Waina

Zechariah 4:1-14
 

Before the Session

 

From Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Pack, Summer 2007, display the picture
poster with the lesson outline for this session.


 

 

 

A Vision to Ponder (Zech. 4:1-5)

 

As adults enter, ask them to write on the markerboard one thing or person they really depend on.

Read the following article, suggesting adults discover one thing the Cash's depended on:

Anchored in Love: An Intimate Portrait of June Carter Cash

On the heels of the June 5 release of the 'Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash' album -- a collection of songs written by or associated with the late singer and wife of country outlaw Johnny Cash, performed by Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello and Emmylou Harris, among others -- comes the accompanying book, 'Anchored in Love: An Intimate Portrait of June Carter Cash,' written by June and Johnny's only child together, John Carter Cash.

The biography, which takes its name from a Carter Family song, is a telling account of June's life, from her Appalachian childhood to her romance with Johnny and the struggles therein.

[When the editors at Thomas Nelson Publishing House asked him to write a memoir] "that was not an easy answer," says Cash, sitting in the cabin studio where his parents often recorded in their senior years. "I knew that I'd be deciding to talk about some things I'd never talked about before. I'd have to explain the darkness, and make the point the light." 

In the book, Cash writes of grace and love and happy times but he also touches on turmoil. His father, Johnny Cash, was often haunted by despair and addiction, and his mother, late in life, battled an addiction to pills. "I was concerned about writing something that would be taken as sensationalist," says Cash. "I also knew that it had to be truthful, and that the essence of the story had to end sadly, in some ways."

To write "Anchored in Love," Cash often returned to the Maces Springs, Va., home that has long been a retreat for his family. His grandmother, guitar legend Maybelle Carter of the Carter Family, lived there with her husband, Ezra. Later, Cash's parents owned the house. He found it the proper place to hole up, contemplate and write. "I had writing spells, focus spells, where I'd write 10,000 words in a week," Cash says. "I was able to think back on so many good things: her love, her strength, her joy, her inspiration, her forgiving nature and above all her enduring love for my father."

In the book, Cash also details some of his own struggles with addiction and depression. And he writes about some problematic family dynamics, "I believe we're all fallible human beings," he says. "We're all going to struggle. We're all going to hopefully get back up and keep going. As my mother would say, 'Press on.' "

Source: "John Carter Cash's book 'Anchored in Love: An Intimate Portrait of June Carter Cash,'" www.spinner.com/2007/05/28/book-club-anchored-in-love-an-intimate-portrait-of-june-carte/;  "A lifetime: Anchored in love" www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-06-25-john-carter-cash_N.htm Accessed July 3, 2007

Ask: What did the Cash's depend on? (Drug addiction among other things.)

Say: Maybe our dependence is not on a negative thing like drugs, but perhaps we depend on ourselves when we really need to look to God. In continuing to study Zechariah, we will read about his vision of a  lampstand and what God revealed about depending on the power of the Holy Spirit during the people's rebuilding of the temple.

Enlist a volunteer to read Zechariah 4:1-5, as learners look for what was unusual about the lampstand. Share responses. (Lampstand was automatically filled with endless supply of oil, from the seven channels constantly feeding into the bowl [Bible Knowledge Commentary, 1555])

Say: The lampstand was apparently similar to one in Israel's tabernacle [Bible Knowledge Commentary, 1554] (Note: Don't look for a hidden meaning in every detail of the vision. See the article "Zechariah's Visions and Oracles" on the Biblical Illustrator Plus CD-ROM for Summer 2007.)

Ask:

  • If the lampstand represents Israel as a light to the nations, what parallel do you recall from the New Testament? (In John 8:12 Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world.")
  • What does "seven" indicate in verse 2? (Direct adults to p. 68 in the learner guide.)
  • While Zechariah received a vision, what is the primary way God reveals His truth to us today? (through His Word)

Say: Zechariah's book contains eight visions, each with a basic pattern of Zechariah seeing something which is followed by an angel giving a brief explanation of the vision. While we know the general message of Zechariah's book is hope and encouragement in rebuilding the temple, you will learn
the meaning of this vision in the following verses where the angel's explanation is given.


 

 

 

A Message to Heed (Zech. 4:6-10a)

 

Enlist another volunteer to read Zechariah 4:6-10a, as learners listen for the central message of the vision in verse 6.

Ask:

  • What did the Lord say for Zerubbabel not to depend on? (Mention that Governor Zerubbabel did not have an army, unlimited resources, or anyone else to turn to for help.)
  • What times have you depended on your strength (force) or abilities to get you through life?
  • How can you do a better job of depending on the Holy Spirit?
  • When have your obstacles seemed as great as a mountain (v. 7)?
  • How did the angel say the people would respond when the final piece, or capstone, would be placed? Do you have a similar reaction when finishing a task for God?
  • Can your work for God be successful without depending on His Spirit?

Call for responses to this statement: Even when apparent results from various church programs and methods may be impressive, only God's Spirit produces spiritual and eternal results.

Read the following article:

The Man in the Clouds

Some years ago, in Asia, a young national missionary couple felt the call of God to take their 3-year-old son to a very resistant area in the North to live among the native people. They labored faithfully for many years in this notorious area known as the "graveyard of missionaries" without seeing a single person come to Christ. Their every effort to share the gospel was met with opposition, as they battled discouragement, depression, spiritual oppression and polluted water. 

One day the husband walked through the door of their tiny home, collapsed and died. Distraught, his wife went to check on their sick child. He also had died. Devastated, confused, she returned to the States, with her acute loss, seemingly defeated.

A few weeks later, a "JESUS" film team arrived in that exact area. This time the government officials allowed the film to be shown. During the scene at Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River, when His face first appeared on the screen, the crowd erupted with shouts and exclamations. The team had no choice but to stop the film and learn what the commotion was about. "It's the Man!" they shouted. "He is the One we saw walking in the clouds!"

It seemed that everyone had seen Him the day the national missionary and his son died. Clouds formed over the hillsides. The vision of a Man, larger-than-life, appeared above the clouds, walking over their hills, shedding tears. The people suspected that it was a m essage from God, that He was displeased that they had rejected the gospel. Now, they were being given a second chance.

As the team restarted the projector, the people settled down to continue watching the film. Everyone was transfixed by the story. Then, at the end, the majority of these hard, resistant, people put their faith in Christ! Other miracles followed. People were delivered from evil spirits. The sick were healed. The deep spiritual hunger of many was met.

But, the greater miracle is this: where once there were no Christians, there are now 46,000 believers and hundreds of growing and maturing churches! Today, they are preparing to send out their own missionaries to other unreached people, some of whom will use the "JESUS" film. The "graveyard of missionaries" has become the "vineyard of missionaries!"

*On occasion, the Holy Spirit reportedly gives a vision of the risen Christ that resembles the actor who portrays Jesus. It appears to be His way of affirming the truth of His Word to some who have seen or will see the "JESUS" film.

Source: "The Man in the Clouds" www.jesusfilm.org/progress/index.html  Accessed July 4, 2007

Ask:

  • Why might God use visions or dreams with unreached people groups?
  • What was the Holy Spirit's role in this story?

     

 

 

A Master to Serve (Zech. 4:10b-14)

 

Enlist someone to read Zechariah 4:10b-14, while all look for the explanation of the two olive trees.

Ask:

  • What do the seven eyes of the Lord scanning the earth mean? (God's all-knowing eyes watched over His people to protect and lead them.)
  • What is a plumb line? (Direct this question to someone who likes to build. Mention that this building tool symbolizes the work of Zerubbabel and people in rebuilding the temple.)
  • What are the two olive trees? (They stand for the offices of governor Zerubbabel and priest Joshua.)

Say: To be anointed was to have oil poured on one's head, symbolizing being set apart for a specific service and anointed by God's Holy Spirit.

Ask:

  • What results when churches rely on methods and programs and leave out the Holy Spirit?
  • Have you ever done a task for God in your own strength? What was the outcome?
  • Whatever task you are doing for God now, how can you depend more fully on the Holy Spirit's power? (Look for the answer at the conclusion to this story.)

Tell this story:

Three popular Bible teachers take 9,000 women deeper into the Word. Although the West Coast is not considered part of the Bible Belt, an observer wouldn't have known it by seeing the 9,000 women at Deeper Still, an event led by popular Bible teachers Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore and Kay Arthur.

Event attendees converged on downtown San Francisco March 9-10 to experience 10 hours of music, worship and intense time in the Word of God from the three well-known Bible teachers and successful authors: Shirer, founder of Going Beyond Ministries in Dallas; Moore, founder of Living Proof Ministries in Houston; and Arthur, founder of Precept Ministries in Chattanooga, Tenn.

"We're not here to entertain you," said Arthur during a welcome time. "We are here to join with you and go deeper still into the presence of God."

Shirer began the teaching time by asking, "What was it about David that caused him to be a man seeking God's own heart?

"He recognized God as his source," Shirer said. "He realized everything he had and everything he was came from God."

"When we give up control of our own lives and realize that God is in control, then when things start spinning out of control, and they will, we can look up at God and thank Him because He is going to have to take that responsibility," she said.

Shirer gave five ways to discern God's voice: Look for the message of the Spirit; live in the mode of prayer; search out the model of Scripture; always remembering God's voice will never contradict Scripture; seek out a mentor and submit to the mentor's ministry, just as Samuel did to Eli; and expect the mercy of confirmation.

Source: "Three popular Bible teachers take 9,000 women deeper into the Word" by Polly House, Facts & Trends, July/August 2007, 33-36. www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D165760%252526M%25253D201113%2C00.html Accessed July 5, 2007

Read the lyrics to one of these hymns from The Baptist Hymnal as a closing prayer:

"Breathe on Me" (hymn 238), "Breathe on Me, Breath of God" (hymn 241), or "Spirit of the Living God" (hymn 244)

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

July 22, 2007

Sharing Christ in All Places
Ashley Linne

Acts 13:1-3; 14:1-7,21-23
 

Before the Session

 

In the second article there are several names and phrases that may be difficult to pronounce; you may want to practice them a time or two before reading the article.


Provide some blank sheets of paper and some pens or markers, enough for a few small groups of three or four people.
 

 

 

Acts 13:1-3

 

Read Acts 13:1-3.


Say:
The church in Antioch had been worshiping God and fasting, which is a good indicator that they were waiting to see what God was going to do next. It can be very easy for us to move forward with plans, ministries, and events and then ask God to bless them. However, it is best to seek the Lord first
and then act, allowing Him to be the wind in our sails. When it comes to going out and sharing the gospel, it is especially important to let the Holy Spirit be our guide. He will lead us to the right people, at the right time, in the right place. (Remember that a good definition of successful evangelism is obedience to God, leaving the results of our work to Him.)

Ask:

  • When was a time that you took a course of action before being certain that it was God's direction?  What were some of the results?
  • When was a time that you did something in full assurance of God's direction?  What were some of the results?  How did you know God was leading you?

One example of a mission endeavor that has had quite an impact is the JESUS Film Project.  They recently hit a milestone goal.  Read the following news article:

ORLANDO, Fla., July 3, 2007   Take some of the biggest box office hits of all time, blockbuster films like Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Titanic, and The Lion King. All have been translated into multiple languages and shown to audiences around the world. But if you added them all together they wouldn't reach even half the number of translations of JESUS, the most-translated film in history.

This month, JESUS reaches an astounding milestone with the debut of its 1,000th translation. "Lanka Kol is our 1,000th translation of the JESUS film," said Jim Green, executive director of The JESUS Film Project. "It's a language many Americans have probably never even heard of, but there are more than one million people in India who speak Lanka Kol and now we have the opportunity to begin sharing the gospel story with them in their own language."

Produced by Campus Crusade for Christ, the original JESUS film debuted in U.S. theaters in 1979. With a viewing audience of more than 5 billion, JESUS has been shown around the world, often in remote, Third World locations using a makeshift screen and portable projector. For many audiences, it's their first look at a movie image.

"Storytelling is the fundamental way that people communicate around the world," said Green. "Through the JESUS film, we can tell the incredible story of God's love in a simple way that people can relate to, and we can do it in their heart language."

While the 1,000th translation is a major milestone, it's not the end of the story. The JESUS Film Project plans to continue translating the film into 500 new languages which include every language with more than 100,000 speakers.

The JESUS Film Project is a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, International, one of the world's largest nonprofit, interdenominational organizations, founded by Bill and Vonette Bright in 1951. Campus Crusade has more than 27,000 staff members and a ministry presence in 190 countries around the world. Campus Crusade is dedicated to showing people how to know and experience God's love and plan for their lives. For more information, visit the Campus Crusade for Christ website at www.ccci.org.

Source: "Most-Translated Film in History Reaches Another Major Milestone: Greatest Story Ever, Now Told in a Thousand Languages," July 3, 2007. Article available at www.demossnewspond.com/JFP/releases/1000translation070307.htm.
 

 

 

Acts 14:1-7

 

Read Acts 14:1-7.

Say: The gospel is interesting in that it is the gospel of peace, but it is a gospel that can also polarize. We see this happening in our world today just as it did in Iconium all those years ago. There were those who recognized their deep need for Jesus and accepted Him wholeheartedly.  And there were people who refused to believe the message of Christ and set out to keep others from believing—even if it meant killing the messengers.  Here in the United States we rarely fear for our lives because of sharing the gospel, but in many parts of the rest of the world it is a daily reality for our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Read the following news excerpt:

ISTANBUL, July 6 (Compass Direct News) – Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court this week quashed a previous ruling that had denied Coptic citizens the right to regain their legal Christian identity, ordering a retrial on the hotly contested case.

The 45 Coptic plaintiffs and their supporters greeted the ruling with cheers and ululating trills echoing through the courtroom, declaring it a victory for “citizenship rights,” sources at the national weekly Watani told Compass.

The court stated that it had based its ruling on the legal opinion of the State Commissioners Authority, which noted that Egypt’s civil law contained no reference to ridda [abandoning Islam], which is punishable by death under Islamic law.

Held under tight security on Monday (July 2), the final appeal hearing was punctuated by heated arguments between lawyers, angry chants from Islamists crowding the courtroom and near fist fights at one point.

When defense lawyer Naguib Gabriel declared that Egypt should be a civil state, not an Islamic state, courtroom observers began to chant, “Islamic! Islamic! Egypt is an Islamic state!”

The evening before the awaited verdict, Gabriel appeared on the “Al-Ashira Misa’an” (“Ten O’Clock P.M.”) talk show on the satellite TV Dream channel. Quoting Article 2 of the Egyptian Constitution, which declares Islam the state religion and Islamic law the main source of legislation, Gabriel said this clause would always be “a sword aimed at the neck of Christians.”

The plaintiffs’ defense team of well-known Coptic lawyers included Mamdouh Ramzi, Ramses el-Nagar and Mamdouh Nakhla.

When government lawyer Mansour Abdel-Ghaffar declared to the court that the converts to Islam who then wanted to return to Christianity were “manipulators of religion,” defense attorney Ramzi reminded the court of the Quranic verse declaring, “There is no compulsion in Islam.”

Both Ramzi and Nakhla emphasized “glaring discrimination” against Christians in regard to religious conversion. Although a Copt can be legally declared a Muslim in a matter of 24 hours, they said, a Muslim’s conversion to Christianity remains “next to impossible.”

According to El-Nagar, this week’s ruling has established that the same legal principles apply to Muslim and Christian citizens alike. Because it applies “indiscriminately” to all conversion cases, the lawyer concluded, it thus obligates the Interior Ministry to change religious identities without the applicants having to take their cases to court.

During the initial appeal hearing on June 18, defense attorney Ramzi asked government lawyer Mazhar Farghali what he would do if a Muslim wished to convert to Christianity.

“I would cut his throat,” Farghali replied.

Source: “Egypt Orders Retrial on ‘Apostasy’ Case,” July 6, 2007.  Full article available at www.opendoorsusa.org/content/view/157/.

Ask:

  • Have you ever interacted with a person who was opposed to the gospel?  How were you able to show him/her God’s love?

 

 

Acts 14:21-23

 

Read Acts 14:21-23.

Say: When we are leading others to Christ, we need to remember that following Him is a lifelong commitment and process.  Leaving a new believer to figure things out by him/herself is like leaving a newborn baby outside in the rain.  We must be vigilant to walk alongside new believers, teaching them, encouraging them, and reminding them that we all will go through tough times as we follow Jesus. While a right relationship with God certainly does bring peace, joy, a new way of living, and a multitude of other overwhelmingly enjoyable things, we need to remember that along with these we are promised to experience the purifying elements of hardship, persecution, and troubles. 

Ask:

  • When sharing the gospel, is it ever tempting to paint the Christian life as easy and without conflict? 
  • Why do you think it is “necessary to pass through many troubles” as we journey with Christ? 
  • What are some ways to encourage each other and new believers when we face difficulties?

Consider breaking your group into smaller groups of three or four to discuss. Also encourage groups to share the names or initials of people they are hoping will commit to following Christ in the near future.  Give each group some sheets of paper and pens or markers in case they would like to write down some reminders to pray for each other this week. 

Read the following quotes as a closing thought:

"Thou hast shown thy people hard things" (Ps. 60:3, KJV).

"I have always been glad that the Psalmist said to God that some things were hard. There is no mistake about it; there are hard things in life.  Some beautiful pink flowers were given me this summer, and as I took them I said, "What are they?" And the answer came, "They are rock flowers; they grow and bloom only on rocks where you can see no soil." Then I thought of God's flowers growing in hard places; and I feel, somehow, that He may have a peculiar tenderness for His "rock flowers" that He may not have for His lilies and roses" (Margaret Bottome).

"The tests of life are to make, not break us. Trouble may demolish a man's business but build up his character. The blow at the outward man may be the greatest blessing to the inner man. If God, then, puts or permits anything hard in our lives, be sure that the real peril, the real trouble, is what we shall lose if we flinch or rebel" (Maltbie D. Babcock).

"Heroes are forged on anvils hot with pain, And splendid courage comes but with the test. Some natures ripen and some natures bloom Only on blood-wet soil, some souls prove great Only in moments dark with death or doom."

Taken from ‘Streams in the Desert’ by L. B. Cowman. Available at your LifeWay store or at www.lifewaystores.com

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.