Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope

August 23, 2008
Larry R Evans

(From Nashville, TN)

Quiz for Reflection

[To get the most from the quiz read the passages in brackets and look for a thread of thought which may give more depth and understanding to the question being asked.]

1. Peter was the rock upon which Christ’s Church is built. True or False? [Mt 16:18; then compare Deut 31:23-29 and 32:4 with Mt 16:5-12, 17,18 then compare Deut 31:23 with Mt 16:18 and 1 Cor 10:4]

2. In actuality, Peter was one of the lesser apostles as far as leadership and influence was concerned. True or False? [Acts 2:14; 3:1,6; 4:8, 13; 5:15]

3. Peter acknowledged that he had special powers and recognition by God. True or False? [Acts 4:8-12; 10:25]

4. Both maintaining the infrastructure/organizational framework of the church and seeking the lost are part of the mission God has given to His Church. True or False? [Acts 6:2-4; 8:14]

5. God’s instruction to Peter regarding Cornelius teaches that spiritual truths of yesterday take second place to the mission of the Church. True or False? [Acts 1:8; 10:1-14, 28-43]

6. Contention among God’s workers can occur even after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. True or False? [Gal 2:11-14]

Reflective Review

It has been said that mission is the heartbeat of the Church. If that is true then it is also true that the Church, at times, can suffer from heart disease. The fact that mission is the vitality of the Church can also mean that certain activities or lack of activities can bring on serious disabilities.

The Apostle Peter had a number of midlife corrections that had to be made, but if we step back far enough we can see the hand of God guiding this rather impetuous, overzealous and often outspoken disciple of Christ’s. Peter failed at a most critical time. Regardless, Christ saw something in Peter that others often overlooked. Such mistakes are still made by would-be followers. Measuring others by their weaknesses is one illustration of heart disease. Christ saw past the mistakes because He looked for possibilities and cultivated them more than denouncing the weaknesses. Mission is possible if we believe people can change, have deep down inside a spiritual hunger and if we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. “We have this hope” is built on that premise!

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