Blog

Winter 2023

Faith That Pleases God This quarter’s lessons examine how individuals from Scripture lived faithful lives that pleased God. Their stories reveal how we can honor God through our lives of faith. Without faith, our attempts to please God will fall short (see Hebrews 11:6). Profiles in Faith This quarter begins by exploring the faith of various people from Scripture. One person who demonstrated unwavering faith is Ruth the Moabite. Because of her faith, she had confidence that the Lord would be with her and her mother-in-law, even in desperate circumstances (see Ruth 1:16–17, lesson 1). Demonstrating faith is not easy; sometimes faith requires that people stand alone. The young shepherd David faced this reality as he confronted the Philistine (see 1 Samuel 17:45, lesson 2). In doing so, David went against the expectations of his people and his king (see 17:31–33). Likewise, it was not easy for Mary, a young, […]

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Fall 2023

God’s Law Is Love One point of conflict in the first-century church concerned the authority and relevancy of the Law of Moses. This quarter will explore the relationship between faith and law through Jesus’ teachings and writings to the first-century church. Jesus, the Pharisees, and the Law During his earthly ministry, Jesus experienced conflict with certain Pharisees. This party of Judaism was strict and passionate regarding obedience to the Law of Moses and its related commentary. To ensure obedience, they had established traditions to guide their actions. However, Jesus identified disparities between the requirements of the Law of Moses and the Pharisees’ obedience. One inconsistency involved their devotion to the law at the expense of acting with love (see Luke 11:42, lesson 1). Other inconsistencies regarded their observance of the Sabbath (see Luke 14:1–6; John 7:14–24; lessons 2 and 3). On one occasion, some Pharisees and teachers of the law […]

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Summer 2023

The Righteous Reign of God Scientific discoveries continue to reveal the nature, expanse, and power of our universe. As a result, many believers are left struggling to understand the relationship that God has with his creation. The expanse of creation gives us a hint at the power and expanse of its Creator. One way that Scripture describes the relationship between God and his creation is in terms of the relationship between a king and his kingdom. God is king! And the entire created order is under his rule. This quarter will explore the themes of God’s rule, his kingdom, and the response of his people as revealed in the Old Testament prophets, the teachings of Jesus, and the letters of the apostle Paul. A Kingdom of Peace The prophet Isaiah’s articulation of God as king began with his vision of the Lord on his heavenly throne (Isaiah 6:1–5). From that […]

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Spring 2023

Jesus Calls Us What does it mean to be a citizen of the kingdom of Heaven? The lessons this quarter explore some of the most basic principles of Christian faith: that Christ’s invitation is open to all people, that his resurrection changed everything, and that those who put their faith in Jesus and anticipate their own resurrections are Jesus’ chosen community. These truths have much to reveal about what it means to live in the kingdom of Heaven, both in the present and in the glorious future we anticipate. Open to All Our first unit highlights accounts in which Jesus disregarded artificial societal barriers, choosing instead to reach people on the margins. Emotions, biases, and ignorance can stand in the way of accepting people as Jesus did. But the welcome of the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable (Luke 15:11–24) sets the scene for all sorts of surprising people who can […]

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