Lesson 8 (August 17-23), Discernment: The safeguard of Revival.

God's Will and His Word

1. Can new true revelation ever go against what is in the Bible? In the judgement will it be always safe to defend our beliefs and practices by telling God "I read it in the Bible" ?
2. Is the Bible enough or do we need more?

God's Love and His Law

1. What was the sin of the five foolish virgins? Why would Jesus tell them "I don't know you when they were waiting for him to come?"
2. Why did God reject the rich young ruler who had kept the law all his life? If we are in the same boat how can we correct the situation?

Formalism, Fanaticism, and Faith

1. On a scale of 1-10 between formalism/tradition and fanaticism/excitement where would you place Adventists?
2. Which would you consider more difficult and why, to convert a Pentecostal to Adventism or to convert an Adventist to Pentecostalism? 

Ministry and Miracles

1. Can true miracles be experienced in a church or person who is not following all the teachings of the Bible? Is the presence of genuine miracles in a church evidence that it is the true church?
2. Why did Jesus perform miracles? How many were converted because they witnessed miracles?
3. Are there miracles among Adventists today? what do we need to experience more?  Can we say today to people "In the name of Jesus, be healed?" 

Fruits and Gifts

1. Are gifts of the Spirit given at birth or later in life?
2. Are some people given more gifts? If so, is that fair?  Would you rather have one or ten? Why?
3. Why are fruit of the Spirit - love joy, peace, patience, etc., fruit and not gifts?

Lesson 7 (August 10-16), Unity: The Bond of Revival

What other words besides "disunity" are opposites of "unity?"

Answering Christ's Prayer for Unity

1. Why would disunity among the disciples trouble Jesus so much?
2. Does disunity come in the way of witness?  If so, how?
3. Why did the disciples not unite while Jesus was with them?

New Testament Illustrations of Unity

1. Why did the early church try to bring unity without equality of genders and race and caste?
2. Which of Paul's many images of the church (building, army, body) illustrate unity best?

Elements of Unity: Our Mission and Our Message

1. How do we get a common enemy and how does that unite us?
2. Do we in the Adventist church have a common mission and message? What is it?

Church Organization: The structure for Unity

1. Did Jesus intend to leave behind an organization? Why did he not designate a leader?  How did Jesus respond to the disciples' desire for position? How can we make leaders truly like servants in attitude?
2. Was James like president or chairman of the first council? What is the difference?
3. How does the presence of officers and hierarchy bring unity and disunity?

Achieving Unity

1. What are some of the tools Satan uses to destroy unity?
2. Do we need unity in all aspects or certain ones?  Is it possible to proceed fully with our mission while we have disagreements in some areas, or do we need perfect harmony?
3. Why does our lesson not include the Old Testament for lessons on unity?

Lesson 6 (Aug 3-9), Confession and Repentance: The Conditions of Revival

Why don't we include "repentance" with "revival and reformation?"

Repentance: God's Gift

1. How do people become "of one accord?"
2. If repentance is God's gift, is there such a thing as repentance among atheists? How would they define it?
3. Why is it difficult to accept we've done wrong? Why do we blame others when it is not their fault?

True Repentance Defined

1. What makes guilt good or bad?
2. What made Paul say he was the chief of sinners?

True Repentance and Confession

1. Are the times when it is better not to confess, such as when the wronged person is unaware of the wrong? 
2. Are there times you would rather not know what your friends have done or said against you? 
3. Can confession sometimes make things worse? Can one be forgiven without confession?

True and False Confessions

1. What makes a confession true or false?
2. Why did Judas hang himself? Could he have been forgiven if his repentance was genuine?
3. Will Balaam be lost? How do we view his true prophecies allowing God to speak through him?

Confession's Healing Power

1. How does confession unclog channels to the heart?
2. How does confession improve a person's attitude to you?
3. Why does God want us to confess before He forgives us

Lesson 5 (July 27-August 2), Obedience:The Fruit of Revival

The Transformed Life

1. At what point in his experience would you say Peter was transformed?
2. Can you identify transformation points for James and John?  
3. Is it always possible to identify transformation points for each person?  Do transformations have to be dramatic?

The High Cost of Obedience

1. Could Stephen have avoided his being stoned by wiser communication?
2. When threatened how much can we compromise to avoid persecution?  Does the amount of compromise connect to the level of persecution?

When the Spirit Surprises

1. What made Saul think that God approved his persecuting the earliest Christians?  How would he have felt to discover was the one wrong?
2. How would Ananias have known that Saul's conversion was genuine?  
3. What did Saul have to learn from Ananias that he didn't learn from God during his encounter on the way to Damascus?  Why did God send him to Ananias instead of one of the disciples

Sensitivity to the Spirit's Call

1. How did Paul's conversion experience help him to deal with others in his ministry?
2. Why do some accept the message, some reject it, and some hesitate?  Is the failure to accept by a person sometimes the fault of the presenter of the message?

Spirit-led Obedience

1. What made it possible for Jesus to obey absolutely and completely? 
2. Did Jesus have an advantage in obedience to God?  Did Jesus use any advantage in obedience?  
3. Is it possible for us to obey God completely and absolutely?
4. Can the Spirit transform us completely if we let Him? Why do people not allow the Spirit to transform them completely?

Lesson 4 (July 20-26) Witness and Service: The Fruit of Revival

Can a person witness without having experienced a revival?

Christ's Parting Commission and Promise

1. Did Jesus intend to set up an organization? Why didn't He appoint officers to carry on his mission?
2. Are we closer to completing the gospel commission than the disciples were?
3. How much should a person know in order to be baptized?

Receiving the Promise

1. Could the disciples have finished spreading the gospel in their lifetime? Why didn't God tell them it would be thousands of years before He returned?
2. Why does God pour out the Holy Spirit in short spells?  Why can't He give a downpour that will last long enough to finish the work faster?

The Power of Personal Testimony

1. Can a person be converted without the Spirit's involvement?  
2. How can we know if we have received the Spirit?
3. What do we mean by personal testimony?  Is being a good Christian enough witness?

A Witnessing Faith is a Growing Faith

1. Can one be saved who does not share the faith?
2. Is it necessary for faith to grow?  If faith is not shared will it die?

Revival, Witnessing, and Divine Intervention

1. If one does't feel like witnessing is it an indication of deficiency of the Holy Spirit?
2. Should we force ourselves to witness or should it be inspired by the Spirit?

Lesson 3 (July 13-19), The Word: The Foundation of Revival

Why do we use King James English for communicating with God?

Is daily Bible reading necessary for going to heaven?

Revived Through the Word

1. How useful is the chapter-a-day method of Bible reading?
2. Why is it difficult to form the habit of regular Bible reading despite good intentions?
3. Can a person love the Bible without reading it regularly?

The Word’s Creative Power

1. How is the Bible like a two-edged sword?  Is it intended to hurt?
2. What are some wrong ways to read the Bible?

Jesus and the Word

1. Why is Jesus termed the “Word”?
2. Does calling Jesus the “Word of God” make him inferior to the Father?
3. Does Jesus’ humanity make him inferior to the Father?

Revival Faith and the Word

1. What can a person do to develop faith?
2. If we cannot move mountains does it mean that we have no faith at all?
3. Since we don’t expect to move mountains, practically what does faith accomplish?

The Word: Revival’s guardian and Safeguard

1. Is a person’s revival false if he or she is not following all the doctrines of the Bible?  Can a preacher who is not practicing Sabbath-keeping lead in a genuine revival?
2. How can one judge if revival is genuine or not?

Lesson 2 (July 6-12), Prayer: The Heartbeat of Revival

Did Jesus mean for us to memorize the prayer he taught his disciples?

Prayer and Revival in Acts

1. Is it possible to love God so much that prayer becomes addictive?
2. Is it possible to pray too much?

Jesus’ Prayer Life

1. When is the best time of the day for prayer and why?
2. Why did Jesus spend so much time in prayer—even whole nights?

Praying Together

1. What was the reason Peter, James, and John fall asleep when Jesus asked them to pray?
2. Is group prayer more effective than individual prayers?  What does group prayer accomplish?
3. What does it accomplish when we repeat the Lord’s prayer together in public? Would you rather people asking you a favour do it with a memorized group request or spontaneously from the heart?

Our Freedom

1. What happens to our freedom when we pray “Thy will be done?”
2. How do we know when we have received the Holy Spirit?

Effective Prayer

1. Is prayer more effective when you close your eyes?  Why or why not?
2. Is prayer more effective when you kneel down?  Why or why not?
3. Is it possible to treat God too much like a friend?  Is it wrong to chat with him like a friend?  How did Bible characters talk to God?
4. Are there some prayers that God will refuse to hear?