1. powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com Adult Bible Study Guide Apr May Jun 2009 Adult Bible Study Guide Apr May Jun 2009

2. 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, adjust font size, 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. The Christian Life An Appeal

3. Reinder Bruinsma Contributor Principal Contributor Reinder Bruinsma Contributor Principal Contributor

4. The Christian Life Contents 1. Love 2. Faith 3. Hope 4. Life 5. Revelation 6. Sin 7. Grace 8. Rest 9. Heaven 10. Discipleship 11. Stewardship 12. Community 13. Mission

5. The Christian Life Our Goal {181} We want to look at both aspects of our faith: doctrine and experience. Not only to understand these themes better but also to have been enriched as far as Christian experience is concerned. One focus: the One in whom “we live, and move, and have our being.”

6. The Christian Life Lesson 12, June 20 The Christian Life Lesson 12, June 20

7. COMMUNITY Key Text 1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

8. COMMUNITY Initial Words {327} From the story of the calling of Abraham onward, the OT centers on the experiences of the people of God. God’s NT people are from every nation, tribe, and linguistic group. Like Israel in OT times, they now have the responsibility of teaching others about divine grace. They too, belong to a special community of believers.

9. COMMUNITY Quick Look 1. Community of Responsibility (1 Peter 2:9, 10) 2. Community of Christ (Ephesians 4:16) 3. Community of Unity (Ephesians 4:3-6, 11-13)

10. COMMUNITY 1. Community of Responsibility 1 Peter 2:9, 10 NIV “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people of God, but now you are the people of God….”

11. 1.Community of Responsibility Privilege of Belonging {329} Truly belonging to Christ’s church implies a realization of what the church is and of one’s role in the church. The metaphor of the body with its many members sublimely illustrates this truth. Some parts appear to be more vital than others, but the functioning or malfunctioning of some minor gland often also proves to be a matter of life and death.

12. But privileges always are accompanied by responsibilities. We should constantly ask ourselves, How can I serve better? “All must move like parts of a well-adjusted machinery, each part dependent on the other part, yet standing distinct in action. And each one is to take the place assigned him and do the work appointed him.” My Life Today 276. 1.Community of Responsibility Responsibility of Belonging {331}

13. COMMUNITY 2. Community of Christ Ephesians 4:16 NIV “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and build itself up in love, as each part does its work.

14. 2. Community of Christ The Church’s Foundation {335} When the full context and all other biblical evidence is taken into consideration, there is no ground for suggesting Peter was the rock upon whom the church was founded and that special authority was transferred from him to the future bishops of Rome. Peter’s confession of Christ as the Son of the living God was the rock.

15. 2. Community of Christ The Church’s Foundation {335} In the book of Revelation, the description of Jesus Christ in 1:12-20 is full of OT imagery. Christ is presented as walking in the midst of seven lampstands, clothed as High Priest. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ, who is not some distant, static deity but One who walks in the midst of His church.

16. Ephesians 4:3-6, 11-13 NIV “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit…. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope … —one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all…. It was he who gave some to be apostles … until all reach unity in the faith….” COMMUNITY 3. Community of Unity

17. In Diversity {333} To be united in Christ means to be united in the truth. Christ defined Himself as the Truth [John 14:6]. True unity does require a common commitment to the Scriptures as the Word of God and to its fundamental teachings, and a common desire to practice what the Word teaches.

18. 3. Community of Unity In Diversity {333} “In the branches of a vine there is diversity, and yet in this diversity there is unity. Every branch is united to the parent stalk. Every branch draws its nourishment from the same source. When we are branches of the true Vine, there will be no quarreling among us, no strife for the supremacy, no disparaging of one another.” EGW GC Bulletin Apr 25 1901.

19. COMMUNITY Final Words {326} Believing and belonging are closely linked. God wants us to be part of the community that He has initiated. It is a privilege to belong to that community, but it also carries responsibilities. We all have our unique contribution to make to the body of Christ.