Lesson 1 (Sept 26-Oct 2, 2020), Education in the Garden of Eden

 The First School

1. What would be advantages in holding classes outdoors? What are the disadvantages?
2. Why did God ask Adam and Eve to look after the garden? What did that involve in a sinless world? What would have happened if they failed to do that properly?
3. If one had to live in a forest or island today what would be deemed essentials? 

Intrusion

1. Would the tree to test the couple have been God's idea or Satan's?
2.  Would the presence of the tree have been enough of a test without the tempting serpent?
3. Was Eve created after the instruction to Adam not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? 

Missing the Message

1. How possible is it that Adam didn't convey the prohibition as strongly as God?
2. Did Satan say anything that was false? Why do we call him a liar?
3. What makes us think that Adam was not with Eve when she bit the fruit?

Regaining What Was Lost

1. Why do teachers send disobedient students out of the classroom? What does that accomplish? Can the same objective be achieved in another way?
2. Could the Tree of Life have been removed from the garden? Why did Adam and Eve have to be expelled from Eden?
3. What is the difference between "education" and "knowledge"?

The Despisers of Authority

1. What makes one a good student? Are good students born or made?
2. Do some students have an unfair disadvantage in a class? Is there any disadvantages when it comes to learning about God and salvation?
3. How does respect for authority erode?

Lesson 13 (Sept 19-25, 2020), A Step in Faith

 Self-Sacrificing Love

1. Why would anyone think that Jesus was less God than the Father? What was Jesus before he was the Son?
2. Why do you think it was Jesus who volunteered to redeem humans rather than the Father or the Holy Spirit? What motivated Him to do so?
3. What are reasons that humans are reluctant to work for the salvation of others?

Commitment's Call

1. Why do you think Peter's response to the miraculously huge catch of fish at Jesus' instruction to lower the net was to confess that he was a sinful man? 
2. In what ways is evangelism like fishing? Why did Peter and John have to give up fishing to follow Jesus? Is it possible to witness part-time?
3. What did Matthew have to give up to follow Jesus? Would it have been hard or easy? Why was he ready to follow?

Paul, God's Chosen Vessel

1. Is it possible to have an encounter with God today as Paul had? What did God see in Paul that He called him?
2. Should young people be sought out and called to be pastors or is it better for them to make the decision on their own?
3. How can one tell who will make a good pastor-evangelist?

The Demands of Love

1. How can we tell if we have enough love for people?
2. How can we develop love for people, if we don't have it?
3. Did the disciples have love for people to begin for Jesus to develop or did He have to put it in them?
4. What is the difference between feeding sheep and lambs? Why do you think Jesus change the instruction?

Love's Commitment

1. What changed Peter from a denier to champion for Christ?
2. What enables people to become martyrs?
3. What evidence is there that Paul, Peter and John demonstrated love for people?

Lesson 12 (Sept 12-18, 2020), A Message Worth Sharing

 Peter's Present-Truth Message

1.  Is truth universal and timeless? If so what is meant by present-truth?
2. Could Jesus have come before 1844?
3. Why has every generation believed theirs to be the last? 

Revelation's End-Time Focus

1. Percentage-wise, how much of the Bible would you estimate is devoted to (a) the first coming of Jesus, (b) the second coming of Jesus, and (c) the third coming of Jesus (after the millennium)? What would you say is responsible for those priorities?
2. How much did the Old Testament prophets distinguish between these comings?
3. How can you account for the difference in the book of Revelation compared to the rest of the New Testament?

Revelation's End-Time Message

1. Why is Jesus at the second coming depicted with a crown and a sickle? What do these symbolize?
2. How can one tell when the harvest of this world is really ready?
3. When are seasons of sowing and harvest in the history of the church?

Understanding God's Message More Fully

1. What does "Fear God" mean?  Could they give the wrong impression? Why does the Bible use those words?
2. Why does God have to ask us to give Him Glory? How is it different from human beings asking for praise?
3. What tells us that the first angel's message of "Fear God, give glory, worship" is connected to the Sabbath?

 God's Final Appeal

1. Since when has Babylon represented enemies of God?
2. Was the  early Adventist church justified in believing that all church organizations were Babylon?
3. Did the Adventists have to organize into a denomination or could they have remained a movement? Would that have been better or worse? 

Lesson 11 (Sept 5-11), Sharing the Story of Jesus

 Jesus, The Basis of Our Testimony

1. How might changed lives be explained besides by the power of Jesus? How does the power of Jesus make it easy?
2. Are bad habits easier to form? Why or why not?
3. Can a sinner be saved without changing?

The Transformative Power of Personal Testimony

1. Why were James and John called Sons of Thunder?
2. What might be wrong with having a temper?
3. Why would people be interested in testimonies of changed lives?

Telling the Story of Jesus

1. What enables an evil spirit to possess a human?
2. Why did the evil spirits need permission to enter the pigs? Why did Jesus permit them to?
3. Is it hard or easy to get rid of an evil spirit?
4. Are there different levels of demon possession? Are there medical ways to help one possessed?

Testifying With Assurance

1. Is it possible to witness about Jesus without experiencing Him personally?
2. Is it possible to have doubts about being saved even if one is?
3. Is it possible to feel the assurance of salvation even if one is not truly saved?

Something Worth Testifying About

1. Is there anything painful about being crucified with Christ?
2. What are something things that might be hard to give up when choosing to follow Christ?
3. Is there anything that is good which we have to surrender when deciding to follow Jesus? 

Lesson 10 (Aug 29-Sept 4, 2020), An Exciting Way to Get Involved

 Small Groups--God's Idea First

1. Does a small group need a leader? Does the godhead have a leader?
2. What was the "Son," before his incarnation and life on this earth? 
3. What might be unique about the "Holy Spirit" if the Father and the Son are also spirits?
4. Were the roles of the three in the trinity assigned or chosen?

Small Groups in Scripture

1. What small does a group have to be to bring out the participation of the most shy person?
2. What qualities do you think Moses considered as he selected the leaders of small and large groups? Would Moses have used the same process  to select the leaders of tens as he used for leaders of thousands?
3. What's so special about the numbers ten and twelve that "eleven" is missing? Why did the disciples feel it necessary to replace Judas?

Organized For Service

1. Do types of members of our church correspond with various parts of the human body?
2. How should a church fill a position for which no one is interested?
3. How should a church select a person for a role in which several are anxious to serve?
4. How much should a church tolerate members church who perform no function?

New Testament Small Groups

1. How did Paul select people to work with him? Should a new pastor rely on those that helped the previous pastor or should new assistants be selected?
2. Was Paul the only apostle who used supporters in his ministry or did other apostles also use assistants?
3. What are some formal and/or informal groups that exist in our church today? Which ones are more effective?

Small Group Dynamics

1. Why are so many people more ready to participate in a small group than in a large one?
2. What does a small group have in common with a family other than similarity in numbers?
3. Should small churches be encouraged, and large churches discouraged?