Key Thought : God invites us to share the good news of salvation in ways that will be attractive and meaningful to different people.

Paul : Mission and Message, September 12-18, 2015

Have a volunteer read 2 Corinthians 1:21-24

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a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
b. Is this saying that there are different reasons people seek the truth, but the main focus is to be Christ crucified?
c. Personal Application : What is your faith based on? What good reasons do you have for it? How might your reasons differ from others? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your relatives states: “God can reach people through His power and His wisdom, but He does not perform miracles to prove anything, nor refute the wisdom of the world. So why should people accept the preaching in His name?” How would you respond to your relative?

Have a volunteer read Romans 3:31

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
b. What law must Paul have been talking about here?
c. Personal Application : What role does the law play in sharing the good news with others?” Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your friends states, “I thought the law was done away with by Christ at the cross. We are not saved by legalism, but by grace through faith in Christ. So why emphasize the law in the gospel?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

Have a volunteer read Ephesians 6:10-13

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. How can we know when it is appropriate to share certain truths with people?
c. Personal Application: Do you look at the Christian life as a war against the world and the devil’s influences? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your neighbors states, “In what ways is faith a fight? Why does Paul use the weapons of warfare to compare it to our Christian walk? How serious is this comparison?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

Have a volunteer read Acts 15:38-41.

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. What happened here, and what does it tell us about the humanity of even the apostles?
c. Personal Application: How can we learn to forgive those whose mistakes have hurt us? How do we seek to bring healing in these situations? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Note : “Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.” Ministry of Healing, p. 148)

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