Adult Bible Study Guide Jul Aug Sep 2013

Adult Bible Study Guide Jul • Aug • Sep 2013 powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http: //clarovicente. weebly. com

Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide An Appeal Dear User…. This Power. Point 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. PLEASE USE AS IS.

REVIVAL&REFORMATION Mark Finley Principal Contributor

Revival and Reformation Contents 1 Revival: Our Great Need 2 Prayer: The Heartbeat of Revival 3 The Word: The Foundation of Revival 4 Witness and Service: The Fruit of Revival 5 Obedience: The Fruit of Revival 6 Confession and Repentance: The Conditions of Revival 7 Unity: The Bond of Revival 8 Discernment: The Safeguard of Revival 9 Reformation: The Outgrowth of Revival 10 Reformation: The Willingness to Grow and Change 11 Reformation: Thinking New Thoughts 12 Reformation: Healing Broken Relationships 13 The Promised Revival: God’s Mission Completed

Revival and Reformation Our Goal {5} “A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. ” —Selected Messages 1: 121. Heaven places priority on revival. What could be more important?

Revival and Reformation Lesson 7, August 17 Unity: The Bond of Revival

Unity: The Bond of Revival Key Text Ephesians 4: 1 -3 NKJV “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ”

Unity: The Bond of Revival Initial Words {79} Unity is an essential ingredient of revival. Conflict, division, and strife do not create an environment for nurturing revival. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on a church that had united in Christ’s mission to the world. Their petty differences were subordinate to the call of Christ’s larger mission.

Unity: The Bond of Revival Quick Look 1. Elements of Unity (Acts 1: 8) 2. Structure for Unity (Acts 20: 17, 28) 3. Achieving Unity (John 17; 20 -23)

Unity: The Bond of Revival 1. Elements of Unity Acts 1: 8 NKJV “ ‘But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. ’ ”

1. Elements of Unity Mission and Message {82} Christ’s commission to take the gospel to the entire world swallowed up the disciples’ personal ambitions. The church cannot reach the community with the gospel until it is united, but it will never be united until it is consumed with the preaching of the gospel.

1. Elements of Unity Mission and Message {82} Mission is a great unifying factor. The life, death, resurrection, priestly ministry, and return of our Lord bound together the early believers. New converts were anchored in the “apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2: 41, 42, NKJV). The teachings of Jesus provided the foundation for their unity.

1. Elements of Unity Mission and Message {82} Peter uses the term “present truth” (2 Peter 1: 12). The message of “present truth” united the church and propelled it forward with a prophetic impetus: Jesus Christ of Nazareth was the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.

1. Elements of Unity Mission and Message {82} Now, in the final days of earth’s history, God has given His people an Revelation 14: 6– 12 urgent, present-truth message, as well (Revelation 14: 6– 12). This is what unites Seventh-day Adventists as a worldwide family. It is the proclamation of the prophetic message of the Three Angels that gives us the reason for our existence.

Unity: The Bond of Revival 2. Structure for Unity Acts 20: 17, 28 NKJV “From Melitus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. … He said to them…‘take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit had made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. ’ ”

2. Structure for Unity Church Organization {83} The New Testament reveals that the early church had a definite organizational structure. This structure helped to preserve the doctrinal purity of the church and keep it focused on its mission.

2. Structure for Unity Church Organization {83} 1. Selected deacons for food distribution. 2. Paul was directed to Ananias, a church representative. 3. Paul met Jerusalem leaders. 4. Paul met Ephesus church elders. 5. Members accepted Jerusalem Council decision.

Church Organization Illustrations of Unity {81} Paul: The body. Interrelated and mutually dependent upon one another. If one part of the body suffers, the entire body suffers. Peter: A building. Members as stones intimately linked. It was this bond of loving unity that was to be a powerful argument for Christianity.

Unity: The Bond of Revival 3. Achieving Unity John 17: 20 -23 NKJV “ ‘I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one…. I in them, and you in Me; that they may be perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me…. ’ ”

3. Achieving Unity One With God {80} The closer we come to Jesus, the closer we come to one another. We see with new spiritual eyesight. The Spirit of Christ enables us to view one another differently. The little things that once bothered us are reframed by the grace of Christ.

3. Achieving Unity One With God {80} Cherished hostilities are relinquished in the light of His magnificent grace. Old scores and disputes are, as much as possible, set aside. Barriers are broken down. The gospel heals broken relationships.

3. Achieving Unity One With God {80} Hoping or wishing for unity does not bring it about. A living, dynamic, unified, and revived church is one whose members are praying together, studying God’s Word, and reaching out to their community.

Unity: The Bond of Revival Final Words {85} “In order successfully to carry forward the work to which they had been called, these men, differing in natural characteristics and in habits of life, needed to come into unity of feeling, thought, and action. … To this end He sought to bring them into unity with Himself. ”—The Acts of the Apostles 20.