jastombaugh

Ahab’s Repentance

Lesson Theme: Who is beyond hope?

Who here feels we are a fairly advanced, modern society? Would you at least say that we HAVE made SOME progress as a society, overall, over the past 1,000 years?

For example, without using the internet:

Do you know where SILK comes from?
Do you know where cotton comes from?
Do you know where we get dairy MILK?
You know where MEAT comes from?
You know what Social Media/Facebook is?
You understand what decorating is?

So let me get this straight… By your own admission, you acknowledge that we adorn ourselves with worm excrement and plant fibers, guzzle cow mucus, mine animal carcasses for food, chatter and clatter in steady, documented streams, while surrounding ourselves with bits and bobs we’ve found scurrying about the nooks and crannys of our environment.

… Now, who here feels we are fairly advanced and modern society, making strides of progress overall?

If it is true that you can learn something from anyone, let’s see if King Ahab has anything to teach.

Note: No PowerPoint lesson today. Let’s just use our Bibles and make some notes in the margins.

Ahab’s Repentance Lesson

“And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou has sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.”

— 1 Kings 21:20

Why Does the Bible Talk about Circumcision?

Lesson Theme: Physical manifestations of spiritual applications

“Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” I was told this by a preacher when I was just a child, and I think about this frequently almost 30 years later.

As society drifts farther and farther from the pier of God’s Word, we seem destined to a measure of self-destruction and doomed to re-invent the wheel only to re-discover the truth present in God’s inspired Word.

There is a growing movement promoting ‘intact males’ and anti-circumcision. Is it un-natural to circumcise your baby boy? Is it purely cosmetical surgery left over from an outdated judeo-christian oppressive attempts to curb masturbation?

In an adult-oriented lesson, lets not shy away from a clear Bible teaching, lest we pass over a precious truth symbolized in this medical procedure.

Note: No PowerPoint lesson today. Let’s just use our Bibles and make some notes in the margins.

The Circumcision Lesson

“Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.”

— Exodus 4:25

Whats With the Half Miracles in the Bible? II

Lesson Theme: God Answering Our Real Needs

God, commonly and typically, heals people all in one ‘go’ or in one instance. Maybe that is why it seems so curious when God, from time to time, doesn’t.

Consider, for example, 2 Kings 4, when a boy dies in his mother’s arms. The great prophet of God sends his servant with a rod to lay upon the boy, and seemingly, it ‘doesn’t work.’ The great prophet, himself, prays over the boy and stretches himself upon the dead child. STILL, it doesn’t work.

Why does it take so many attempts before the prophet finally ‘gets it right’, or God finally answers in the form of a miracle?

Note: No PowerPoint lesson today. Let’s just use our Bibles and make some notes in the margins.

What’s With the Half Miracles in the Bible 2- Lesson

“Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me?”

— 2 Kings 4:28

Whats With the Half Miracles in the Bible?

Lesson Theme: Miracles That Come in Stages

When our Savior performed a miracle, it was concise, thorough, and completely telling of the merciful and compassionate Father… 99% of the time it would result in INSTANT healing for those blessed to experience His physical touch.

I say 99% of the time because there are a few miracles that certainly seem to DEVIATE from God’s usual method.

When I get to passages like Mark 8, I can’t help but read about Jesus spitting on the eyes of a blind man, and the man not being healed. What’s with that? Was it a warm-up lap? Jesus healed a woman of an medical history of blood issues by a simple touch of the hem of His garment… Why did it take TWO attempts to heal this man?

Note: No PowerPoint lesson today. Let’s just use our Bibles and make some notes in the margins.

What’s With the Half Miracles in the Bible – Lesson

“And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.”

— Mark 8:24-25

Are There Little Gods?

Lesson Theme: Who are the ‘sons of God’?

It is not a rare thing to encounter entire religions based upon the mis-understanding of Scriptures. One of the surest ways to mis-understand or mis-interpret the Scriptures is to remove it from it’s biblical context.

This week, let’s look at the puzzling statement made by Jesus in John 10 regarding the mysterious ‘sons of God.’

Some religions insist that there are many gods (polytheism) and that this passage is Jesus’ admission that there really ARE other gods. But is this so?

Is it possible that our Savior was just a created being who attained ‘god-ness’?

Note: No PowerPoint lesson today. Let’s just use our Bibles and make some notes in the margins.

Are There Little gods – Lesson

“Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.”

— Job 2:1

The Christian in the Voting Booth

Lesson Theme: How Should a Christian Vote

The election season is upon us, yet again. There are now almost as many political ads flooding America’s televisions and papers as there are pharmaceutical ads. (To the casual observer, one might think America revolves around Political Candidates and Nausea!?)

In this age of modern progression, it might be difficult to identify with the boldness of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:16) until we enter into the voting booth. For there is little else that compares to the peer pressure many Christians face like that applied for their vote.

Today, let’s look at some very common misconceptions about voting. Many times, examining an argument tends to make it fall apart.

Should a Christian vote? Who should a Christian vote for? Is voting for an un-electable person really a form of ‘throwing away a vote?’

Note: No PowerPoint lesson today. Let’s just use our Bibles and make some notes in the margins.

The Christian in the Voting Booth – Lesson

“It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.”

— 1 Samuel 15:11

The Quirk Chapter

Lesson Theme: Introduction to Ecclesiastes

Call me crazy, but its interesting how some books are best introduced by OTHER books. So let’s turn to perhaps one of the quirkiest chapters in the Bible, Proverbs 30.

In this short study, we’ll introduce the book of Ecclesiastes by first taking in a bit of backstory about it’s author, Solomon.

There’s a quirky chapter in Proverbs that features a mysterious man named AGUR. If it really is the glory of God to conceal a thing, and the honour of kings to search it out, let’s see if we can bring a Bible mystery to light.

Note: No PowerPoint lesson today. Let’s just use our Bibles and make some notes in the margins.

The Quirk Chapter – Lesson

“So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.”

— Psalms 73:22

Why Do All Nations Have Flags

Lesson Theme: The Christian ‘Flag’

Isn’t it funny how every nation tries to be separate and different, but yet, they ALL have flags!? And, furthermore, WHY are they always rectangles of the same size?!

Test your knowledge with a flag test, and discover the answers to more than just these. The Christian has a flag, and while it is not made of material, it is still JUST as visible from a distance or up close. It separates the Christian apart from the world around us.

This well could be the most fun I’ve had building a Sunday School lesson in a long time.

Why Do All Nations Have Flags – PowerPoint

Why Do All Nations Have Flags – Lesson

“Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.”

— Psalms 60:4

The Tower of Babel

Lesson Theme: Historical Accuracy of the Bible

Let’s face it. Sometimes there are some pretty incredulous claims made by the Holy Scriptures that seem… well, absolutely EXTRAORDINARY!

Of course, it may be worthy of note that EXTRAORDINARY things tend to get mentioned vs. the mundane.

However, when it comes to the account of things, like, the Tower of Babel, and the Origin of Languages, its worth taking a long hard look at what the Bible has to say on the subject.

When I consider the Tower of Babel, two burning questions jump right out: WHY and WHY?!??!

Why would a people even attempt such a thing? Did Nimrod HONESTLY truly believe that he could reach heaven via a TOWER? What would happen when they got only 4 miles up and had trouble breathing the thin oxygen?

Perhaps even MORE curious, WHY on earth did God stop them? The whole plan was doomed to failure from the start, so why did God feel so threatened by a prototype skyscraper?!?

All of this and much more await your class in this weeks lesson.

Tower of Babel Lesson – PowerPoint

Tower of Babel Lesson – Lesson

“And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”

— Genesis 11:4

Warnings About Facebook

Lesson Theme: Social Media’s Inherent Dangers

If information about you isn’t so valuable, why does everyone seem to want it? It is quite possible that your privacy and personal information could be one of your greatest God-given natural resources.

Consider just how much would be missing from the Bible that no one would or could ever know about if God had chosen not to record it for our reading!

In this lesson we cover, really, social media in general. Are we sharing too much information? Does Mark Zuckerburg care about our family pictures, daily mood swings, or fabulous meals? Does he simply want to provide millions of dollars in servers, cloud-storage, and access just so you can keep in touch with your family for free?

Is Facebook really ‘Free’?

Warnings About Facebook – PowerPoint

Warnings About Facebook – Lesson

“And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.”

— Proverbs 23:2-3