When and how often should Christians remember Jesus' death in the Lord's Supper (communion)? Should we commune on the first day of the week (Sunday) or on the seventh-day Sabbath? Denominations may have the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. This study examines the teaching of Christ regarding the time and frequency for partaking of the Lord's Table.
Does the Bible contain evidence to convince us it is true? Did the writers of the New Testament claim to testify as eyewitnesses of the things they wrote? How important is eyewitness testimony? How can we know whether the testimony of witnesses is valid?
Everything you can experience with your physical senses will someday pass away. Only things you cannot see are eternal. So what should be your priorities in life? Possessions, wealth, pleasures, entertainment, sports - all are temporary and will end. Pleasing people, popularity, even life and good health will end. Only serving God leads to eternal rewards and lasting blessings.
Jesus' miracles, resurrection, and fulfilled prophecy give powerful evidence proving He was the Divine Son of God. But His life and character also offer proof. His claims, moral purity, and teaching demonstrate He was not a liar, hypocrite, or lunatic but was exactly who He claimed to be.
Should we eat roast lamb in the Lord's Supper? What if people say it was done in the Old Testament and would aid our worship? There is a Lamb in Revelation and people can honor God with their talent in cooking the lamb. And where does the Bible say not to? But all these same reasons are used to justify instrumental music in worship. If we can see why not to eat roast lamb, then why use instruments?
What spiritual lessons and Bible principles can we learn from one of the greatest tragedies in history?Introduction:
This announcement was made by Philip Franklin, vice president of the White Star Line in New York. He referred to the sinking of the luxury ocean liner the Titanic, which sank in the North Atlantic on the morning of April 14, 1912, after hitting an iceberg. Of the 2200 people on board, over 1500 of them died.
Even today, almost a century later, this tragedy stirs the interest of multitudes, as illustrated by recent movies, books, and documentaries.
What does it mean to be reconciled? What causes us to be enemies alienated from God? What has God done to achieve our forgiveness and what must we do to receive it? What should we do when sin alienates us from other Christians? How important are communication and forgiveness?
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The story of Joseph and his brothers is a bittersweet story about reconciliation. Because of jealousy, Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him but instead sold him as a slave into Egypt.
Years later, by God’s providence, Joseph became governor of Egypt. His brothers came to Egypt to buy food during a famine. They did not recognize Joseph, but he recognized them and went to great lengths to test them to see if they had changed. Eventually he made himself known to them and they were reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – “Be ye reconciled to God.”
To “reconcile” means to “exchange … hostility for a friendly relationship” – Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich. Sin alienates or separates people from God. We need to cease being God’s enemies and develop peace. The gospel plan to achieve this is called “the word of reconciliation.”
Sometimes people become alienated from other people. They become enemies, no longer in friendly relations. They too need to be reconciled.
God has a plan to reconcile people to God and a plan to reconcile people to people.
Does God's sovereignty mean people have no choice about salvation? Calvinist creeds say God determined to save individuals eternally or to condemn them regardless of their choice, conduct, or character. Is this what the Bible says or does God choose to give people the free will power to choose to meet the conditions of salvation? Did Jesus die to offer forgiveness to all people and then invite us to choose to accept that salvation by obeying His teaching?
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Many denominations exist that differ in origin, authority, doctrine, and organization. Where did they come from and why are they here? How do they compare to the church built by Jesus Christ in the New Testament? What does God's word say about their existence?
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How should we decide whether to trust someone? How should we decide whether someone should be given special responsibilities? What does it mean to forgive someone who sins? If someone sins, repents, and is forgiven, must they immediately be restored to positions of trust? If we decide they should step down from special responsibilities to take time to rebuild their reputation and people's trust in them, does that mean we have not forgiven them?
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Should abortion be legal to the moment of birth? Does abortion constitute killing an innocent human individual? Is abortion simply a family matter that should not involve government? What about the rights of the parents of a minor girl or the father of the baby? Should separation of church and state eliminate religious views from consideration?
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The purpose of this study is to examine abortion and pro-abortion legislation.*
If killing an unborn baby constitutes killing innocent human life, then this is fundamentally a question of morality which makes it a Biblical and religious issue, not just a matter of politics. Examining pro-abortion legislation teaches us the following about abortion:
Are Works Essential to Salvation? Most Protestant churches teach salvation by faith only: works of obedience (especially baptism) are not needed to be saved. But are there different kinds of works? Do we earn salvation by living without sin? What about grace? Are there Scriptures that say we must obey to be saved? Do our attitudes matter? What about children of God: must we live a faithful life to receive eternal life?
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Has the Bible been accurately preserved and transmitted to us over the centuries? Have we accepted the proper books in the canon of Scripture, or has teaching been lost or added improperly? Do ancient manuscripts contradict one another? A study of the preservation, transmission, ancestry, and accuracy of the Bible: textual criticism.
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This material is also available in print as part of our book on Bible Inspiration and Preservation. For more information, go to gospelway.com/sales/books.
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Is gender a spectrum? A matter of choice? When is it determined? What should be the roles of men and women in the home, church, and society? How does transgenderism relate to homosexuality? What about men in women's restrooms and facilities? What about cross dressing and drag queens? What does the Bible say? Has the Creator spoken?
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Religious people often conclude they are pleasing to God by comparing themselves to other people: the religion of their family, past traditions of the church, or a succession of past church leaders. What is the proper way to determine whether our service pleases God?
Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross is essential to our forgiveness and salvation from sin. But how do we receive the benefit of His sacrifice? Is there a connection between Jesus' death and hearing the gospel, faith, repentance, and confession? What about baptism and church membership? Must we live an obedient, faithful life? Click/tap here to see PowerPoint slides and charts for this material.
Many people doubt or deny the accuracy or authority of the Bible. Did Jesus believe in the accuracy of Creation, Noah's flood, and Jonah? Did He believe the Old and New Testaments were inspired by God as authority and a standard to guide people to know and obey the word of God? May we take a middle-ground position that we are followers of Jesus but we doubt some Bible teachings?
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Our society increasingly belittles the importance of truth in spiritual and moral Issues. Some say there is no absolute truth or truth for you is whatever you believe it to be. How essential is truth regarding the existence of God and the truth of His word. Do we need the truth regarding salvation, morals, the church, worship, and doctrine? Is truth essential in government, business, the family, education, and science?
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Do people believe evolution because they have been convinced by examining scientific evidence? Is evolution scientific but creation is unscientific? Is evolution promoted but creation suppressed? Do all scientists believe evolution? Are scientists always objective? Are people's views influenced by bias, preconceived ideas, and personal desires?
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What is hope? Should we hope for enjoying life on earth, a millennium of Jesus' earthly reign, reincarnation, or eternal life in heaven? Should our hope be based on human ability, material possessions, and pleasures or on the promises of God? How do we obtain the hope offered in the gospel
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When conflict exists between what God wants and what people want, what choice should we make? What about obeying government when civil rulers require us to disobey the Bible? Or what about family members or business employers or even church leaders or members who expect us to do what is sinful?
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Some caterpillars blindly follow one another in procession. Do religious people often do the same? Do denominations blindly follow church traditions, manmade doctrines, and creeds? Do members blindly follow seminary-trained preachers? Do people assume "all these people can't be wrong"? Are you and I "Caterpillar Christians"?
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Is each individual personally responsible to choose to accept salvation? Are we free moral agents? What about inherited depravity and infant baptism? Are we righteous because we have godly family members or because we are members of a faithful local church? What about Identity Politics, Critical Race Theory, and the "Me To" movement?Click/tap here to listen to this study as a free MP3 recorded Bible message.
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Fellowship is sharing or being part of an activity. Is it possible to be guilty of a wrong act even if we do not actually commit the act? What about encouragement or tempting others to sin? Is it wrong to support, assist, or cooperate with those who do evil acts? What if we defend, protect, or justify those who sin? What does the Bible say?
How can we demonstrate the existence of God to those who doubt or disbelieve? Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientists in history, used a model of the solar system to show that the Creator of the universe must exist.
Only God could create the heavens and the earth, but the Bible says Jesus did it! What does this tell us about who Jesus is? What does His role as Creator tell about His power and wisdom? What authority does He possess? What is His relation to the Father and to us as creatures? Is He a created being or is He eternal?
Is it possible for a child of God to fall away and cease being faithful? If so, what has God provided to help us avoid falling? What guidance and instruction are offered by the Bible and other Christians? What about the power of prayer? How does God, by His love and grace, help us overcome temptation and avoid sin?
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The Bible says Jesus can offer us eternal life, but what is the nature of eternal life? What is the source of life and how can we obtain it? Can other religions or religious leaders provide eternal life? Must we meet conditions to receive it? Do you know Jesus and how to have eternal life?
Can people seek for God and find Him and His will for our lives? What about people in Africa and other places where the gospel is little known? What must we do to seek for God? What about the attitude of our hearts? Must we believe in God and study the Bible? How important is obedience?
Jesus taught His disciples to set an example of good works so people would give glory to the Father in heaven. Everyone has influence. Our influence is shown by our works, not just our words. Evil conduct leads people to dishonor God, but good works lead people to glorify God. Is your light shining for God's glory?
We are involved in a great spiritual battle with the forces of evil. Jesus won this battle, and we can conquer through Him. He was victorious over sin, temptation, evil, and even death. We can win these same victories through the weapons He supplies. Don't you want to be on His side and win the victory?
Who should be baptized: how, why, and when? Should babies be baptized? Is baptism sprinkling. pouring, or immersion? What is the proper purpose of baptism? What conditions must one meet before being baptized? Is baptism necessary to receive forgiveness of sin? What commitment should one make for life after baptism?
Why does God deserve to receive glory and honor? How should we express honor for God? Should we honor God for His majesty, character, and works? Are we expressing proper honor by our worship and our lives?Click here to view this material as a free video Bible study.
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It is possible to have improper reasons, but here are some good reasons:
* Salvation from sin
* Heaven and hell
* Spiritual blessings (peace, hope, guidance for life, etc.)
* Better life (moral uprightness, good family relations, etc.)
* Love of God
We want to discuss a reason that I fear our lists would often omit.
What claims do Bible writers make about the accuracy of their history? Did they write myths and legends or historical events? Did they record eyewitness testimony? How important is this history to our evidence for God, Jesus, and the Bible? Is Bible history essential to our understanding of our purpose in life and salvation from sin?
People often determine what they believe in religion and morality based on the consensus, majority, or "mainstream" thinking, especially experts, scholars, or scientists. This occurs in government, media, education, denominations, etc. Is truth determined by polls and surveys or by the Bible?
The Christian's joy is not based on physical circumstances or human relationships. We can rejoice even as we suffer in these physical ways. Our joy is based on spiritual circumstances: forgiveness of sins, our fellowship with God, and the blessings of serving Him and the hope of eternal life.Click here to view this as a video Bible study.
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When someone does not believe in the Bible, Jesus, or God, how can we convince them? Should we use archaeology, science, logic, secular history? Yes, but examples in the book of Acts emphasize creation, miracles, fulfilled prophecy, and the resurrection of Jesus.
The Fact Jesus Arose Gives Evidence for Faith and Hope for Salvation and Eternal Destinies.
When people sin against us should we seek vengeance, hold a grudge, hurt them with words and threats? Or should we love them, pray for them, and seek their good? When and how do we forgive? Must they repent and confess their sin? Is forgiveness conditional or unconditional?
Jesus' parable of the Ten Virgins teaches the need for preparing and staying ready for His return. We should not procrastinate obedience but should prepare completely. We will be judged and rewarded individually for how we lived our lives.
What is
justice and what is the proper standard: God's word or human desires? Should we
judge people based on individual conduct or on race, wealth, influence, or
family? What about Social Justice?Click here to view a video of this material.
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Bible class discussion about false teachers based on 1 Timothy 6:3-5
A sign in
Glacier National Park predicted that global warming would destroy the glaciers.
In contrast, the Bible is proved to be true by accurate prophecy.
Like a tree
grows every year, Christians should continually grow in God's service. We must
abound and increase in faith, love, knowledge, teaching, and all good works of
righteousness.
The
love that family members should have for one another should teach spiritual
brothers to never harm one another but to appreciate, help, and encourage one
another and to reconcile our differences.
When
Jesus died for our sins, everyone forsook Him. His disciples deserted or denied
Him. Even His Father forsook Him on the cross.
Like
the stars in the sky, God created Christians to shine. The
good works Christians do should bring glory to God.
How much should we emphasize feelings in religion? Are emotions good or bad? Can we trust our feelings to tell us right from wrong or do we need a better standard in religion? Should our worship seek primarily to honor and praise God or to produce feelings that satisfy the people?