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Showing posts from March, 2008

Patterns of Discipleship . . .OR . . . Being Seen and Seeing Differently

Sabbath School Class—A Life of Discovery March 29, 2008 Larry R Evans Quiz for Reflection 1. Christ’s compassion knew no bounds. [Mt 14:14; 6:34; Lk 7:13] True or False? 2. The heart full of compassion forgives. [Eph 4:32] True or False? 3. Christ reversed the culture of His day by marginalizing the rich rather than the poor. [Lk 16:19-31; 18:9] True or False? 4. It is wrong to have national pride? [Acts 17:26] True or False? 5. The closer one comes to God the less time one needs to spend in “formal” prayer. [Lk 5:15,16; 6:12,13] True or False? See Nouwen, p.29 6. Disciple-making impacts more than beliefs and behavior. [Jn 5:39-42; 12:1-7; 4:27-30] True or False? (If this is true then what else could it be?) Introductory Reflections One of my favorite books was written by a man named Henri Nouwen who wrote, “Beneath all the great accomplishments of our time there is a deep current of despair . Whi

Patterns of Discipleship . . .OR . . . Being Seen and Seeing Differently

Sabbath School Class—A Life of Discovery March 29, 2008 Larry R Evans Class notes will be posted on Friday Quiz for Reflection 1. Christ’s compassion knew no bounds. [Mt 14:14; 6:34; Lk 7:13] True or False? 2. The heart full of compassion forgives. [Eph 4:32] True or False? 3. Christ reversed the culture of His day by marginalizing the rich rather than the poor. [Lk 16:19-31; 18:9] True or False? 4. It is wrong to have national pride? [Acts 17:26] True or False? 5. Despite the gifts of the Holy Spirit, training for works of service is still needed. [Eph 4:11-13] True or False? 6. The closer one comes to God the less time one needs to spend in “formal” prayer. [Lk 5:15,16; 6:12,13] True or False? 7. Disciple-making impacts more than beliefs and behavior. [Jn 5:39-42; 12:1-7; 4:27-30] True or False? (If this is true then what else could it be?) Reflective Review A whole quarter about disciple

Mission & Commission . . . AND The Tragedy of Omission

Sabbath School Class—A Life of Discovery March 22, 2008 Larry R Evans Quiz for Reflection 1. Since our neglect of the poor and suffering can determine our eternal reward, it should be understood that we are justified by our deeds of compassion. [Mt 25:31-46; Jas 2:20-24] True or False? 2. When Christ gave the Commission to go into all the world, He did so with a group of disciples who finally showed faith in Him. [Mt 28:17; Mk 16:14] True or False? 3. A genuine miracle from God should be sufficient evidence for us to become believers. [Lk 24: 37-42] True or False? 4. We lose our witness because we have sinned. [1Pet 2:23; Rom 5:6-10; Lk 24:45-49] True or False? Reflective Introduction Most of us have been horrified because of the treatment given to the prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq. Appalling is not too strong of a word to describe the pictures of the prisoner abuse shown throughout the world. However, there is another kind of pr

Mission & Commission . . . AND The Tragedy of Omission

Sabbath School Class—A Life of Discovery March 22, 2008 Larry R Evans Class notes will be posted on Friday along with the answers to the quiz. Be sure to read the texts in brackets prior to then. Quiz for Reflection 1. The message of justification by faith and not a ministry of charity to the poor is the third angel’s message in verity. [Rev 14:6-12] True or False? 2. Since our neglect of the poor and suffering can determine our eternal reward, it should be understood that we are justified by our deeds of compassion. [Mt 25:31-46; Jas 2:20-24] True or False? 3. When Christ gave the Commission to go into all the world, He did so with a group of disciples who finally showed faith in Him. [Mt 28:17; Mk 16:14] True or False? 4. Those who do not believe the everlasting gospel will not be saved. [Mk 16:15; Rev 14:6-12] True or False? 5. A genuine miracle from God should be sufficient evidence for us to become believers. [Lk 24: 37-42]

More Lessons in Discipleship: "Becoming is Superior to Being"

Sabbath School Class—A Life of Discovery March 14, 2008 Larry R Evans Quiz for Reflection 1. It is wrong for true disciples to question God’s care for them or their loved ones. [Mk 4:37-41] True or False? 2. Sometimes disappointments, mistakes and heartaches teach insights not easily learned with successes. [Mk 6:6-13 then Mk 6:45-52] True or False? 3. Those who defend God’s truth are disciples of Christ. [Mt 23:23] True or False? 4. The disciples’ ignorance kept them fearful. [Mk 9:30-32] True or False? Introduction Since the rebellion in heaven (Rev 12:7) there has ever been a sinister plot to create distrust in God and to malign His character. (Gen 3) Over and over again we see God trying to send a message of love, care and hope only to have these messages distorted and His chosen messengers criticized, abused and even killed. It is as though trust in God is the last thing to be tolerated. “In the days of Stalin, kinderga

More Lessons in Discipleship: "Becoming is Superior to Being"

Sabbath School Class—A Life of Discovery March 14, 2008 Larry R Evans Class teaching notes will be posted on Friday Quiz for Reflection 1. It is wrong for true disciples to question God’s care for them or their loved ones. [Mk 4:37-41] True or False? 2. Sometimes disappointments, mistakes and heartaches teach insights not easily learned with successes. [Mk 6:6-13 then Mk 6:45-52] True or False? 3. Episodes in life often reveal personal weaknesses which need to be remedied if we are to be the kind of disciple God wants us to be. [Mk 6:51,52] True or False? 4. Those who defend God’s truth are disciples of Christ. [Mt 23:23] True or False? 5. The disciples’ ignorance kept them fearful. [Mk 9:30-32] True or False? 6. Disciple-building is another word for appointment to service. [Mk 9:31] True or False? 7. God’s disciples should not be subject to feelings and emotions which cause them to fluctuate between hop

Discipleship Under Pressure

Sabbath School Class—A Life of Discovery March 8, 2008 Larry R Evans There will be no class notes this week do my travel. Quiz for Reflection 1. The proverb “Whatever can go wrong will go wrong” is found in the book of Hezekiah. True or False? 2. It is the spiritual gift for some disciples of Christ to amass political powers to further the work of His church. True or False? 3. Jesus chose not to use religion as a means of gaining greater wealth. [Jn 6: 14,15] True or False? 4. Being frugal (not wasteful) with the resources of God can be a misuse of those resources. [Jn 12:1-6] True or False? 5. What the Church can’t accomplish in quiet, calm tones it should attempt with more direct, forceful approaches. [Lk 9:51-56; Mk 6:11] True or False? 6. A misuse of Scripture can lead to abusive relationships. [Mt 4:5-7; Lk 9:51-56 with 1 Ki 18:36-38] True or False? 7. It is possible to do work for the Lord without it