Jesus Christ is Lord of both the church and the world. His coming is a fulfillment of the Old Testament expectations of a saved community that would extend far beyond the Jewish people. The coming of Jesus, especially His suffering and resurrection, ushered in a new age in which the distinction between Jew and Gentile, … Continue reading –>
Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV A misunderstanding of this verse has crippled the success of many missionaries. A young student loses his parents, and his teacher is afraid to put her arm around his shoulder and comfort him for fear she might be accused of evil. A pastor is having studies … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: 2 Tim. 1:8-9; Isa. 42:1-9; Dan. 9:24-27; Luke 2:8-14; Matt. 10:5-6; Acts 1:1-14. Memory Text: Again Jesus said, Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you (John 20:21 NIV). According to Scripture, a core activity of the Trinity is mission. Father, Son, and Holy … Continue reading –>
Lesson for August 1-7, 2015 Key Thought : God still calls on men and women to be available as His representatives in promoting life and the values of the kingdom of heaven. 1. Have a volunteer read Esther 1:19-21. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this … Continue reading –>
Bangladesh ~ By Doneshor Tripura Doneshor felt a fervent desire to know the truth. He decided to mark with a red pencil everything he found in the Bible and in the Gita that was good and helpful. Soon he realized that he was marking nearly everything in the Bible. Doneshor decided that one day he … Continue reading –>
The decree that will finally go forth against the remnant people of God will be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews. Today the enemies of the true church see in the little company keeping the Sabbath commandment a Mordecai at the gate. The reverence of God’s people for His law is … Continue reading –>
“Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” ~ John Flavel I’m retitling this week’s lesson on Esther and Mordecai to “Hope for the Hopeless.” There are so many times in life when we simply do not know what to do. We find ourselves in difficult situations and often feel as though we are carrying the weight of the … Continue reading –>
Read Esther 8. Focus specifically on Esther 8:17. How can we understand this in terms of outreach and witness? No question, the book of Esther is not a typical story about outreach and witness. And yet we can see something like this scenario happening here toward the end. As a result of the king’s edict … Continue reading –>
According to Esther 5-8, how was Esther able to save her people? The accounts of Esther’s two banquets bring the story to its crisis point. They also record the great reversal of the plotted ethnic extermination. On the way, the story exposes the difference between true honor and self-honor, and it records the punishment of … Continue reading –>
An intriguing story. Of all the events included in the Bible, the story of Esther has close to the greatest appeal of them all. Beauty, competition, intrigue, jealousy and a simple young woman’s conviction: those are the elements. What kind of a party was King Ahasuerus planning? Was there a reason given for this extravagant … Continue reading –>
In Esther 3:1-5, the plot of the story starts to unfold. Mordecai, a Jew—following the commandment against idolatry—refused to bow down to Haman, a mere man. Furious, Haman sought a way to avenge himself for what he took as a slight. Mordecai, by his actions, in a way was witnessing among these pagans about the … Continue reading –>
Read Esther 2:10, Esther 2:20. What situations might arise where nationality or religious affiliation should be hidden, at least for a time? Read John 4:1-26, the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. Why did Jesus tell her so openly that He was the Messiah, when among His own people He was not … Continue reading –>
