5. Revelation and Inspiration (For Discussion on Oct 31)

 General and Special Revelation

1. If you were God and had the opportunity to communicate with humans, what are the first things you might want to tell them?

2. How can we assume that there was once perfect order in nature? 

3. Why did God not grant plants and creatures absolute power to heal completely from each injury and sickness?

The Process of Inspiration

1. If all scripture is inspired, what about the speeches of Job's companions? Why are they in the Bible?

2. Were the prophets inspired or were their messages inspired? What is the difference?

3. How could a prophet know the difference between an ordinary dream and a vision of the night?

Oral Messages

1. When some people today say they heard a distinct voice say to go a certain way, or do a certain theing, could they have heard an actual audible voice or would they just have had a clear impression in the mind? 

2. Why does God no speak audibly to humans on a regular basis?

3. Did prophets hear words or were they given thoughts? When prophets said "Thus saith the Lord," what did that mean?

Writen Messages

1. Why did Paul take pains to explain that some of his counsel did not derive from God, but was his own? Does it give us room to wonder about the other passages?

2. Why do some people consider parts of the Bible more important than others? Are some commandments of the Bible more important than others?

3. Did God prevent prophets who wrote portions of the Bible from making mistakes in their writing?

Drama, Symbols, Parables

1. How can a lion be used to symbolise Satan on one hand, and Jesus on another?

2. How may symbols and parables be over-interpreted? How may we discern the limits of understanding, for example, Jesus as bread?

3. How could God ask His prophets (such as Hosea or Ezekiel) to do something against what He would have considered wrong under other circumstances?

New Testament Prophets (For Discussion on Sabbath October 24)

 Jesus as Prophet

1. How can we call Jesus, who is God, a prophet?

2. Why does a prophet have to be from "among you?"

3. Why do you think Jesus did not write something to include in the Bible?

Apostles and Prophets

1. Why are some apostles referred to as prophets, but not all? 

2. Why were all disciples not called apostles? 

3. Why are some writings of the apostles not included in the Bible? (1 Cor 5:9;  Col 4:16)

Functions of New Testament Prophets

1. Why may we not call pastors as prophets who spoke edification, exhortation and comfort?

2. Are spiritual gifts given for individuals or for the church? 

3. Why do prophets not claim to be prophets?

Female Prophets and Young Pastoral Associates

1. Why is it easier to accept women as prophets than as pastors?

2. What distinguished women pastoral associates (Rom 16:1-2, 6, 7, 12) from women prophets?

3. What distinguished female workers in ministry from male workers?

False Prophets in the New Testament

1. Do false prophets know that they are false prophets?

2. What is the motive of false propehts? What is in it for them?

3. Is it possible for God's elect to be deceived by false propehts?

Old Testament Prophets (For Discussion on October 17)

The Humanity of Prophets

1. What do you imagine Ahab's emotions were as he reported the events of the day on Carmel to Jezebel? Had he been converted or not?

2. How do you reconcile Elijah's fleeing from Jezebel to save his life on the one hand, with his request to God to "take my life," on the other hand?

3. Even though Elijah had a nature like ours, what characteristics of Elijah, do you think made him special?

Identifying True Prophets

1. How much do you think (false) prophets believed in themselves and their prophecies?

2. How would the king of Israel have known that the four hundred were not prophets of the Lord, and that Micaiah was? Were their claims enough?

3. Can a true prophet have sin in his or her life?

Functions of Prophets

1. Why did God ask some prophets to anoint kings? How much good did it do for the king's faithfulness to God? 

2. Why do you think God generally didn't call kings or priests to be prophets?

3. Why were kings permitted by God to persecute prophets?

Women Prophets

1. While we know that certain women (or even men) are referred to in the Bible as prophets, how would the people of their day know that they were prophets, since the Bible was not written yet?

2. Why do you think that God would call women to be prophets but not as kings or priests?

3. Are women in general closer to God than men? Give reasons for your answer.

False Prophets

1. Can some false prophets seem genuine? How much can people be faulted for sincerely believing a false prophet ?

2. What can make a false prophet believe they are a true prophet?

3. Why are there more false prophets than true prophets?

 

The Call of a Prophet (For Discussion on Sabbath October 10)

 Abraham, Defender of the Covenant

1. Why do you think God called Abraham out of Ur into a hard nomadic life? Couldn't Abraham have remained faithful even in the midst of idolatory, and been a good witness to others in the city?

2.  How can Abraham be an example of those who have faith when he demonstrated lack of faith in God to care for him twice, by lying about Sarah being his wife?

3. Why is the near sacrifice on Mt. Moriah a demonstration of Abraham's faith rather than Isaac's? 

The Elijah Message

1. After delivering his prophecy of the drought, why did Elijah have to run and hide? Couldn't God have protected him wherever he was, as a demonstration that he was God's true prophet?

2. After so many demonstrations of the results of falling into worship of false gods, why do you think Israelites kept running after Baal?

3. What did Elijah do, that his name is used for forerunners of Jesus' first and second advent?

Isaiah, the Gospel Prophet

1. Should we be hesitant, like Isaiah was, when God calls us to service, or should one respond readily? 

2. Is it necessary for a preacher to have all sins forgiven before delivering God's message?

3. Who is most responsible for justice and injustice, the king, the judges, or the people? 

Daniel, the Faithful Seer

1. Is it better to acquire healthful habits before we are old enough to know the reasons why?

2. Why would Daniel request a vegetarian diet when Israelites were not vegetarians?

3. How does God predicting the rise and fall of nations not make Him responsible for their actions?

John the Baptist, Preparing a People

1. What do you think gave John courage to condemn political and religious leaders? Would it have been better to exercise caution and extend his life?

2. How unfair was it for Satan to tackle John, because he could not defeat Jesus?

3. How can we overcome doubts and fears such as John experienced in prison, considering we cannot get vocal answers from God? 

Lesson 1, The Creator Speaks (For Discussion on Sabbath, Oct 3, 2026)

The Creator Speaks

1.  How important is communication for relationships?

2.  Why did God suspend face-to-face communication with humans after Eden?

3.  Why is Bible study and prayer inadequate communication with God?

Hiding from God

1. Why didn't God program humans to make the right choices?

2.  What difference might it have made if God had warned Adam and Eve about Satan?

3. Why did Adam and Even hide but apparently, not the serpent?

God Seeks Humanity

1. Why did God ask Adam and Eve "Where are you?" rather than "Why are you hiding?"

2. How and why did Satan take target relationships?

3. How much comfort is it to us that even Paul admitted that what he hated he did?

Expelled from the Garden

1. How was the curse on the land, work, and sweat, in a way, good for humans?

2. How can you describe how Adam and Eve felt expelled from God's presence?

3. Where does guilt and shame come from and where does it go?

God's Spokespeople

1. Why do you think Satan has not been allowed to spoil creation completely? How adequately does nature reveal God?

2. How can we know which words of a prophet are inspired and which are not?

3. What can we humans do to ensure we receive what God is communicating through the Holy Spirit?

Expelled From the GardenExpelled From the 1Garden

Lesson 6, November 2-8, 2024

MORE TESTIMONIES ABOUT JESUS

Why does the performance of miracles divide those who witness it? Why do some people reject miracle workers? 

Humility of Soul: John the Baptist Testifies Again

1. What did Jesus mean when He said that if He were lifted up, He would draw everyone to Himself? 
2. How effective was John's testimony of the Messiah, considering his own disciples didn't seem to have accepted it?
3. How important is the role of a bridesmaid or bestman?

A New Understanding of the Messiah

1. What did John do that prepared the way for the Messiah?
2. Why does political freedom seem more urgent than salvation?
3. Why didn't Jesus bring freedom from Rome as well as salvation from sin?

Acceptance and Rejection

1. Why did Jesus use revolting terms as eating His flesh and drinking His blood?
2. Why do you think Judas did not walk away from Jesus?
3. Considering that His disciples understood His mission of salvation only after His death, why did they keep following Him?

The Witness of the Father

1. Why did Jesus say about the Father "You have not heard His voice," when the Father had spoken audibly at his baptism?
2. When God spoke again (John 12:28), why did some people think it was thunder and others think it was the voice of an angel, though Jesus had addressed His Father?
3. How does God glorify His name?

The Witness of the Crowd

1. Since no one had seen Christ before, were people justified in being confused as to Who He really was? 
2. Since the people knew that the Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem and from the line of David, why did they hesitate to connect Jesus to the Messiah?
3. How does a crowd turn into a mob? 

 Lesson 5 for October 26-November 1, 2024

Who, if any, are some types of people that we might not mind being left out of God's kingdom?

THE TESTIMONY OF THE SAMARITANS

The Setting of the Encounter

1. Why might a well still be called "Jacob's" after more than a thousand years?
2. Why would Jews avoid traveling through Samaritan territory?
3. What were advantages and disadvantages of fetching water at an unusual time of the day?

The Woman at the Well

1. How could one with "living water" become thirsty?
2. How does one get converted?
3. How else, besides "living," can we describe the water that Jesus offers?

Sir Give Me This Water

1. What properties did the Samaritan woman think "living water" might have had?
2. Why are questions a good way to introduce a topic?
3. How does hiding sin affect us?

The Revelation of Jesus

1. Why did the Samaritan woman bring up a discussion of holy sites?
2. What are the pros and cons of worshiping in church versus at home?
3. What are the dangers, if any, of worshiping in churches of other denominations?
4. How did Jesus catch the woman's attention, and how did He hold it?

The Testimony of the Samaritans

1. Why do you think the disciples, as soon as they returned, urged Jesus to eat?
2. Why would the gospel writer record that the woman left her pot behind?
3. What could have convinced the town folk to follow the woman to Jesus?