"Seek the Lord and Live"
The Minor Prophets together have a powerful message, one which is about God's grace toward undeserving sinners, God wants to save us from our sins, to save us from the devastation that sin, rebellion, and disobedience bring. Over and over in these books we see the Lord pleading with His people to repent, to put away their sins, to return unto Him and to find life not death, salvation not damnation, hope not despair. Principal Contributor: Zdravko Stefanovic.
Origins
Creation is the foundational truth of Scripture. All other biblical teachings—the Incarnation, the Cross, the Second Coming, and every other biblical teaching are founded upon the truth that our world was created by the Lord. This quarter's lesson delve into the doctrine of Creation as depicted in Genesis 1 and 2 and explores its implications for a number of our beliefs, including morality, sin, marriage, stewardship, and more. Principal Contributor: L. James Gibson.
Growing in Christ
For Seventh-day Adventists, what holds us together as a community are our "fundamental beliefs," all 28, which are fundamental for growing in Christ and living as a community of faith in the light of eternity. This quarter, we are going to focus on some of these teachings, hoping to present a systematic and coherent guide to so of these beliefs. Principal Contributor: Kwabena Donkor.
1 and 2 Thessalonians
The Thessalonians faced stresses, strains, struggles, even outright persecution. Life for them, as for all of us, has its hard moments. How easy and understandable it would have been for them to fall into futility, nihilism, and pessimism. Instead, the Thessalonians had a sure hope, a hope based on what Christ had done for them, a hope that pointed to the greatest promise of all—the Second Coming. Principal Contributor: Jon Paulien
Evangelism and Witnessing
God raised up this church to proclaim "present truth," the three angels' messages of Revelation 14:6-12. Thus, whatever else our church is doing, first and foremost, we should purposefully attempt to lead as many people as we can into God's kingdom. Whether we call it "spreading the gospel," "evangelizing the world," or preaching "present truth," our core business is to tell the Jesus story with the intention that people will accept Him as Lord and Savior and become disciples and even disciple makers. Principal Contributor: Joe A. Webb
Glimpses of Our God
The picture of God in the Bible is very expansive. Yes, God’s love is underscored, again and again, but there is so much more about Him that He wants us to know. For example, there are hundreds of different names for God in Scripture. Each one
of them could give a deeper and more informed understanding of the great God of heaven and earth. Principal Contributor: Jo Ann Davidson
of them could give a deeper and more informed understanding of the great God of heaven and earth. Principal Contributor: Jo Ann Davidson
The Gospel in Galatians
This quarter's Bible study guide invites is to journey with the apostle Paul as he pleads with the Galatians to remain true to Jesus, At the same time, it also gives us a chance to reflect on our own understanding of the gospel. It;s our sincerest revival in our hope that over the course of this quarter God's Spirit will spark a spiritual revival in our hearts as we rediscover what God has done for us in Christ. Principal Contributor: Carl Cosaert.
Worship
This quarter, as we study worship, these motifs [from Revelation 14:6, 7] will appear again and again. And with worship as such a central component of "present truth," we should do well to learn what it means to truly worship the only One who, by virtue of who He is, is worthy of that worship. Principal contributor: Rosalie Haffner (Lee) Zinke
Garments of Grace: Clothing Imagery in the Bible
This quarter’s lessons focus on biblical symbolism of a certain kind: clothing imagery. We will consider the garments that people in the Bible wore and what that clothing really meant, what truths it symbolized, what great realities it pointed to, and what lessons we can learn from it. Principal contributors: Office of the Adult Bible Study Guide Staff
Jesus Wept: The Bible and Human Emotions
This quarter's lessons look at human emotions and give us biblical principles on how we can understand our emotions and seek the power of the Lord to bring them under His loving sovereignty. Principal contributor:Dr. Julian Melgosa.
Background Characters of the Old Testament
All of this quarter's lessons are about stories but not always the common and well known ones with such "stars" as Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah, Daniel in the lions' den, or David and Goliath. We will look, instead, at characters who did not make the headlines but who existed in the background, the ones easily overlooked and forgotten. Principal contributors: Gerald and Chantal Klingbeil.
Redemption in Romans
All great movements in Christianity back to the pure gospel and to the theme of justification by faith have found their starting point in Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Principal contributor: Don Neufeld
Health and Healing
Here [Exod. 15:26], we can see God's concern for not just the spiritual well-being of His people but for their physical well-being, their health, as well. This idea also is found in the Hebrew word shalom, commonly translated as "peace." Yet, the word conveys a deeper sense, that of a completeness, of a wholeness and a fullness that involves the total person, physical health included. Principal contributor: The General Conference Health Ministries Department.
The Fruit of the Spirit
The fruit of the Spirit is not a theory. It is not a lifestyle. Instead, the fruit of the Spirit is a change of being. The key is surrender, a willingness to die to self and live for God and for others. The fruit of the Spirit is just that—the "fruit," the result of salvation, not the means. The means is always Jesus and what He has done for us, which we claim by faith. Richard O'Ffill, principal contributor.
The Book of Numbers
As a people on the move, as a people seeking to reach the Promised Land, as a people called out by God, we could learn from the Book of Numbers. "These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the the end of the ages has come." (1Cor. 10:11, NAB). Perhaps the most important lesson in Numbers is that God will fulfill His promises. Frank B. Holbrook, principal contributor.
John's Epistles
Although addressed to certain churches and individuals in his time, John's epistles deal with issues relevant to us today, issues such as false doctrine, sin, love, apostasy, and obedience. But most important of all, they deal with Jesus Christ, the One through whom we were created ("How did we get here?"), the One who gives our existence meaning and purpose ("Why are we here?"), the One who promises to come again and raise us to eternal life (Where are we going?"). In short, in Jesus we find the answer to the most important questions. Ekkelhardt Mueller, principal contributor.
The Christian Life
Truth is not just knowledge of doctrines and texts but something that influences the believer on a personal level. Truth affects the spiritual life and impacts how a person will relate to the challenges of daily living. There is a practical, life-changing aspect of our religion that never should be denied or denigrated. At the same time, the role of experience never should take away from the importance of correct biblical teachings. Reinder Bruinsma, principal contributor.
The Prophetic Gift
What is the role of the prophetic gift? If we claim the Bible as our final authority, what authority (if any) should the Spirit of Prophecy have? How should these writings be interpreted? Though this gift has been a blessing, in what ways has it been misused?
Gerhard Pfandl, principal contributor.
Atonement and the Cross of Christ
The fullness of the benefits of the atonement is enjoyed only by those who, after being touched by the Holy Spirit, accept God's offer of salvation in Christ as the exclusive means of forgiveness and reconciliation. Their hearts are possessed by love and gratitude to God and Christ for this infinite sacrifice.
Dr. Angel M. Rodriguez, principal contributor.
