powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2012 Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2012

Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide An Appeal Dear User…. This PowerPoint Show is freely shared to all who may find it beneficial. While intended primarily for personal use, some find it useful for teaching the lesson in church. There are those, however, who add illustrations, change background, change fonts, etc. While their intention may be good, this is not right. Slide #1 says “designed by claro ruiz vicente.” For honest Christians, it is not necessary for another’s creation to be copyrighted in order to be respected. P LEASE U SE A S I S.

Kwabena Donkor Principal Contributor

Growing in Christ Contents 1. The Great Controversy: The Foundation 2. Revelation and the God Revealed in It 3. Man: God’s Handiwork 4. Salvation: The Only Solution 5. Growing in Christ 6. Victory Over Evil Forces 7. “Arming” for Victory 8. The Church: In Service to Humanity 9. The Church: Rites and Rituals 10. The Law and the Gospel 11. The Christian Life 12. Last Things: Jesus and the Saved 13. When All Things Become New

Growing in Christ Our Goal {169} THE goal of the quarter is to help us to not just believe the Truth (John 14:6), but to love Him even more and to grow in His grace.

Growing in Christ Lesson 8, November 24 Growing in Christ Lesson 8, November 24 The Church: In Service to Humanity

Key Text 1 Timothy 3:14, 15 NKJV “THESE things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

The Church: In Service to Humanity Initial Words {255} AS the great controversy unfolds, Satan works so hard against the church, especially because it is one important means by which sinners are brought into contact with God’s offer of salvation. The church was created by God for the purposes of bringing erring sinners into a saving relationship with Him.

The Church: In Service to Humanity Quick Look 1. Nature of the Church (1 Corinthians 1:2) 2. Mission of the Church (Mathew 28:19, 20) 3. Governance of the Church (Acts 15:4, 22)

The Church: In Service to Humanity 1. Nature of the Church 1 Corinthians 1:2 NKJV “TO the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

1. Nature of the Church “Called Out” {256} THE Bible uses in reference to the church, ecclesia, which means “called out” or “called forth.” In secular Greek life the word was used primarily to describe a group of citizens who had been called out from their homes into a public place for a gathering. The New Testament uses the word in this general sense.

1. Nature of the Church “Called Out” {256} Ecclesia is any group of people gathered together who share in a saving relationship with Christ. Individual congregations are not just a part of the whole church; each unit represents the whole. The church is one throughout the whole world, but at the same time it is present in each assembly.

1. Nature of the Church Other Images {257} 1. “People of God” 1 Peter 2:9. A concept applied in the Bible to the children of Israel (Deut. 14:2), is clearly applied to Christians. 2. “Body of Christ” Romans 12:5. This gives the idea of unity that should be seen in the church.

The Church: In Service to Humanity 2. Mission of the Church Matthew 28:19, 20 NKJV “GO therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

2. Mission of the Church Evangelism {258} THE church does not simply have a mission; the church is mission. Evangelism is central to the mission of the church. The church exists also for the edification of believers, for the promotion of true worship, and for engagement in matters of social concern.

It would be so easy to get caught up in social reform and swallow up the ultimate mission of the church, which is to reach the lost for Jesus and to prepare people for His return. We, too, need to avoid the extreme of living as if every headline signaled the end of the world and thus neglect the basic tasks of daily life. 2. Mission of the Church Proper Balance {258}

Unity is essential to the church because without it the church cannot successfully accomplish its mission. The unity that Christ prayed for is a gift bestowed upon believers by the indwelling Christ (John 17:22, 23) and kept by the power of God the Father (vs 11). 2. Mission of the Church Unity {259}

The Church: In Service to Humanity 3. Governance of the Church Acts 15:4, 22 NKJV “AND when they came to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things…. Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men…to Antioch….”

3. Governance of the Church Representative System {260} GOVERNANCE means getting things done. Governance also involves organization, which means the organizing of things into a functioning, coherent whole with rules, regulations, and structures designed to facilitate a task at hand. Authority is also critical to governance.

3. Governance of the Church Representative System {260} Seventh-day Adventists have a representative system of church governance. Ideally, leadership acts only as representatives, receiving delegated authority and responsibilities from the membership.

3. Governance of the Church Representative System {260} We need to remember, too, that though Christ exercises His authority through His church and its appointed officials, He has never handed over His power to them. He retains the headship of the church (Ephesians 1:22).

3. Governance of the Church Representative System {260} Church organization needs to be centered around advancing the spread of the gospel. Biblically, church governance is only as good as its promotion of mission and evangelism.

The Church: In Service to Humanity Final Words {255} “WE should remember that the church, enfeebled and defective though it be, is the only object on earth on which Christ bestows His supreme regard.” —Selected Messages 2:396.