Lesson 9 (Nov 24-30), The Most Convincing Proof

Under the Cross of Jesus

1. Why does the author state that "unity" is a gift? Who is responsible for the unity of the church, God, or the members?
2. Does baptism carry with it responsibilities towards compliance with leadership?

Ministry of Reconciliation

1. What kind of peace did Jesus bring to this world? What is his peace from?
2. What obligations do Christians have to foster peace in the world, and in the church?

Practical Unity

1. Are there any limits to the patience and grace that Christians are supposed to demonstrate?
2. How united are Christians compared to members of other religious groups?

Unity Amid Diversity

1. Why do some peoples consider other groups so unclean that they avoid fellowshipping and eating with them?
2. What makes Adventists treat other Adventists closer than family members who are not Adventists?

Unity in Mission

1. What does it mean that the disciples in the Upper Room were of "one accord?" How did they achieve that? The earlier discord was how much earlier? Did the discord change suddenly or gradually?
2. To what extent should we ignore other people's mistakes? When should we not ignore them?

Lesson 8 (Nov 17-23) Unity in Faith

Salvation in Jesus

1. Is belief in the Lord Jesus Christ in enough for salvation? Why did Paul say so to the jailor?
2. Can non-Christians who have not heard of Jesus be saved?
3. Since not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" will be recognized by Him, how can one know if his or her belief is genuine?

Second Coming of Christ

1. What difference does the amendment at the 2010 GC session in the statement of belief on the second coming make which was changed from Adventists believe the "second coming is imminent" to the "second coming is soon?" Which is correct?
2. How much do other Christians believe in a literal second coming of Jesus?
3. What is the practical difference between the wise and the foolish virgins?

Jesus' Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary

1. How important is it to believe that Jesus entered the Most Holy Place in 1844?
2. If Jesus does not come for another hundred years, will that mean that our interpretation of the 2300 day prophecy is wrong?
3. Why do no other Christians believe in the Investigative Judgement as Adventists do?

The Sabbath

1. Why do most Christians keep Sunday as the Sabbath?
2. Is it okay to keep both days Sabbath and Sunday holy?
3. How can one know what is okay to do on the Sabbath? Can a thing be all right for one person, but not for another?

Death and Resurrection

1. Since a person's fate is sealed at death, why does God not take the good ones to heaven immediately upon death?
2. On what basis could Enoch and Moses and other people from the time of Jesus' resurrection be taken to heaven?
3. How good is our name "Seventh-day Adventist compared to other denominations?" Who has the best name? 

Lesson 7 (Nov 10-16), When Conflicts Arise

Ethnic Prejudices

1. Is it possible for a person to overcome feelings of caste and community? If so, how?
2. Is the model of the Early Church, appoint people of one community to look after the needs of that community, the ideal model?
3. Why were deacons appointed to look after widows and not deaconesses?

The Conversion of Gentiles

1. Which is more acceptable, converting a gentile or eating pork? How do we know that Peter's vision was not authorization to eat all kinds of meat?
2. Does the prohibition of unclean meat have medical foundations or ceremonial grounds?
3. How can we know when the Holy Spirit has endorsed a new concept such as conversion of Gentiles, ordination of women, etc?

The Spirit is Leading

1. How could eating with Gentiles possibly contaminate anyone? How did their thinking function?
2. On what basis did the disciples accept that it was the same Spirit received by the Gentiles as they had?
3. How might a multitude of converts in a very short time be perceived as a threat to the church? Imagine if a million converts from a single non-Christian religion joined the church, how might that impact the organization?

The Jerusalem Council

1. How can one overcome prejudices and accept a new concept?
2. Was the decision of the Jerusalem council accepted by all and implemented uniformly? Did it need to be?
3. Does conversion of one issue make it easier to change one's mind about another?

A Difficult Situation

1. Does participation in a council make it mandatory to accept the verdict voted by all?
2. Was the decision in Jerusalem made by the group or by the chairman?
3. How can we know if the decision is the correct one?

Lesson 6 (Nov 3-9), Images of Unity

The People of God

1. What is involved in being "a royal priesthood?" What is our responsibility as such?
2. What makes us believe that we are "the chosen people" instead of the Israelites?
3. Why do we believe that we Adventists are more special to God than other Christians?

The Household of God

1. Why do we refer to some people as "pillars" of the church? What must one do to qualify for that description?
2. How do your church members correspond to other parts of a building--foundation, walls, roof, doors, windows, steps, etc? What would your church lack if you were missing?
3. What effect does calling fellow church members "brother" and "sister" have on church unity?

The Temple of the Holy Spirit

1. What does "you are the temple of the Holy Spirit" really mean? Does the Spirit actually dwell in us, or do we dwell in the Holy Spirit?
2. What difference does it make that Paul used the plural "you" for the above statement?
3. Who is responsible for unity in the church?

The Body of Christ

1. What parts of the human body correspond to various members of a local congregation?
2. How do the parts of a human body represent various departments of the church?
3. How is our church structure related to the parts of a human body?

Sheep and Shepherd

1. Why did Jesus select "sheep" to represent his people rather than "goats," "cows," "camels," or "dogs," which were also common in Bible times
2. How does a flock teach "unity?"
3. Why do some churches prefer the term "pastor" which means "shepherd" rather than "priest" or "father?"