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    Adult Mentor: Second Quarter 2018
    Adult Mentor: Second Quarter 2018
    Adult Mentor: Second Quarter 2018
    Ebook105 pages1 hour

    Adult Mentor: Second Quarter 2018

    By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

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    About this ebook

    The Contemporary Training for the Church (CTC) is a church ministry of training. The discipline of the Contemporary Training for the Church guides train church membership in the distinctive beliefs held by Christians. This ministry is designed as an essential part of the total educational program of the church.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherR.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
    Release dateJan 23, 2018
    ISBN9781681673691
    Adult Mentor: Second Quarter 2018

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      Book preview

      Adult Mentor - R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

      MOTIVES AND MESSAGES

      QUARTERLY THEME:

      Glorify Christ and Honor the Kingdom

      Lesson Scripture:
      Philippians 1:15–26

      DISCIPLINES LEARNED

      I. THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL

      II. TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN

      III. WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

      KEY VERSE:

      What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice,

      (Philippians 1:18, KJV)

      LEARNING SESSION

      Paul was in prison while writing to the church in Philippi. In his letter to the Philippians, he makes it clear that he is aware of some of the things, both good and bad, that are going on in that region. One of those things is the spread of the gospel of Christ by some preachers with godly motives and also by others with selfish and ungodly motives. He impresses upon his readers that God’s message is being delivered and souls are being saved whether or not the messengers themselves do so out of pure motives. In addition, Paul ponders the continued need for his presence to help train and encourage his followers.

      There are two compelling issues being addressed by Paul in this lesson. Predictably enough, they both involve the spread of the Gospel. In simple terms, the first issue involves the spread of the Gospel by others, and the second involves the spread of the Gospel by people who are combating the Gospel that Paul is sharing. We don’t know why such men opposed Paul, but he makes it clear that God’s message is being preached, so all is well. And the second issue involves a small period of ambiguity on Paul’s part as to whether or not it is more beneficial for him to continue his earthly ministry or lean toward his desire for the Lord to take him home.

      THEOLOGICAL CONCEPTS:

      1 Paul is convinced that as long as Christ is preached the kingdom is advanced.

      2 He desires to always be helpful in advancing the kingdom cause.

      3 Paul committed himself to following the example of His Lord.

      EXPOSITION:

      I. The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail

      In the first three verses of the text, Paul, in his usual celebratory style, chooses to overlook the hardship of his own politically imposed imprisonment and instead focuses on the joy and privilege of his spiritually imposed self–imprisonment, an imprisonment which he describes as chains for Christ (v. 12, NIV). Paul finds joy in his journey, rejoices over it, and is proud of the encouragement, courage, and fearlessness that he knows his example has ultimately generated (see v. 14, NIV).

      Paul’s faith is infectious and his followers feed off of his unwavering example of focusing on the prize. Paul is raising up ambassadors for Christ that will create spiritual foundations for Christian fellowship that will not only build Christ’s Church but will also help generate exponential growth which will eventually spread to the four corners of the earth. In today’s terms, Paul would be a traveling evangelist who plants churches. This is because he recruited, groomed, nurtured, taught, trained, blessed, and then commissioned his followers to plant the seeds for new churches.

      Because God’s will is always done, it should not surprise us as to His means, whatever they may be. After all, as the Supreme Being, God has all possible means at His disposal. Some of the messengers of the Gospel of Christ who preached at the time of Paul’s letter to the Philippians were, according to Paul, motivated by selfish ambition. Paul noted that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill (v. 15, NIV). Then he rhetorically asks, But what does it matter? (v. 18, NIV) because he knows God’s message is being shared regardless of the motive behind it.

      Paul stresses that despite the involvement of shallow and near–sighted human motives, God’s plan will be advanced, and that’s all that matters in the long run. Let us not forget that Judas Iscariot was overtaken with evil when he accepted money to betray our Lord and Savior, but even this monumental treachery was part of God’s plan to redeem humankind. It was Jesus Himself who said, I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18, KJV), In other words, some may have meant evil against Paul, "but God meant souls are being saved. God can take wrong intentions and use them to accomplish His holy will and purpose.

      ACTIVITY:

      MAKING IT STICK

      Read the Philippian text along with I Corinthians 1. Compare and contrast the relationship between the two. Why is preaching the Gospel so important for Paul? Why should it be an important part of your church’s ministry?

      II. To Live is Christ and to Die is Gain

      It is always easier to make a decision when only two options are available, especially when one is lucrative in some way and the other is not. When we have to choose between what is bad for us and what is good, we usually go with the good choice. Now we all know that there are notable exceptions primarily because some things that are actually detrimental to us in the long run may appear attractive in the short term and because our spirits are willing but our flesh is weak. Be that as it may, as we said initially, in choosing between good and bad, usually the decision is obvious.

      When one has to make a decision

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