Adult Sunday School 2011-2012
We are currently offering four classes:
Riches In Christ: A Study of Ephesians Mike Young
Ephesians is a relatively short letter—only 155 verses in 6 chapters. It takes less than 20 minutes to read the letter aloud, but within its verses Paul reveals the heart and wisdom of God in the creation of His Church and unpacks the riches of our inheritance, as well as our responsibilities to each other as members of the body of Christ. Ephesians has been called Paul’s greatest letter, a “rhapsody on the worth of salvation.” Kent Hughes, previous pastor of Wheaton’s College Church, says, “Ephesians—carefully, reverently, prayerfully considered—will change our lives. It is not so much a question of what we will do with the epistle, but what it will do with us.”
In the first chapter, Paul prays that we would know “the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.” As he shows us what it means to be “in Christ,” he uses language that lifts us into heaven and, as he describes our relationship with Christ and with each other, he uses imagery that will take your breath away.
Our study will be discussion-oriented and inductive, looking at the text and gleaning what it says, what it means, and how it applies to us in our daily walk. If at all possible, please read the entire letter a couple of times. Let’s see what Ephesians will do with us!
Believing God: Experiencing a Fresh Explosion of Faith Sally Abbot
Beth Moore challenges us: “Do you take God at His Word, believing what He has told us, or do you just believe in His existence and the salvation He offers?” Beth realized that though she had believed in God for many years, she had hardly begun to believe God in all aspects of her everyday life. She heard God asking her: “Are you going to believe me in this situation? What does My Word have to say? Who and what will you choose to believe? And finally—My bride is paralyzed with unbelief—starting with you!”
Why is there a gap between our theology and our reality? How can we close the gap and authentically live our theology (here in our promised land—of Acton?) Faith is what closes the gap between our theology and our reality. What does your faith in God look like? Is He who the Bible says He is? Can He do what the Bible says He can do?
In this reading and discussion class for women, we will examine who God is and how our perceptions of God not only set our expectations of Him, but also affect the way we live our lives. Using Beth Moore’s Believing God, we will see that the Bible is full of stories of people who actively believed God and acted on that belief—Abraham, Noah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Rahab, and so on.
My goals are for us to increase our faith, grapple with our unbelief, revolutionize our prayer lives, learn to be continually believing God in a present and active way, live as verbs, and wake up a few nouns! The cost of the book is $15 and copies will be available the first week of class.
Parenting: Learning What Love Really Is Dan & Tara Kasey, Brad & Kathy Johnson
Dan and Tara and Brad and Kathy are teaming up this year to teach a Sunday school class on parenting. We will be using many different resources as the foundation for covering such topics as the biblical role of parenting, purposes of parenting, building character in our children, teaching children about God, discipline principles, communication with children of all ages, handling parenting differences, and other current issues in parenting.
Resources will include: Raising Children to Adore God by Patrick Kavanaugh, Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas, and Effective Parenting in a Defective World by Chip Ingram. Some of what will be covered will be determined by those who attend the class. Parents of all ages of children are welcome to this lecture and discussion class taught by two different generations of parents.
Thru The Bible Gary Shaw, Larry Black
We can only come to know God intimately and mature in our walk by being in His Word continually. What better way to be in the Word of God than to be involved in a well-structured study that goes through the whole Bible, with free study helps and choice of media commentary? This class is for all those who want to gain a more comprehensive and integrated understanding of God’s Word. You can jump into this study at any time.
Thru the Bible offers a structured Bible-reading program that covers the entire Bible in a five-year cycle. Daily reading schedules and “Notes and Outlines” for each book of the Bible are available from Thru the Bible Radio ministry in advance of each book study. The readings are supplemented by 30-minute Bible study radio broadcasts, 5 days a week with J. Vernon McGee (WROL, WVNE, and WEZE). Free audio podcasts and 5-year MP3 downloads are available as well. McGee is an engaging teacher, combining wisdom with down-to-earth wit. His commentary links the daily reading to other parts of God’s Word for context and clarification.
This year we will pick up our study in Exodus and then move into the New Testament Gospel of Mark. Over the course of the year we will alternate between Old and New Testament books, including the books of Luke and John.
Ephesians is a relatively short letter—only 155 verses in 6 chapters. It takes less than 20 minutes to read the letter aloud, but within its verses Paul reveals the heart and wisdom of God in the creation of His Church and unpacks the riches of our inheritance, as well as our responsibilities to each other as members of the body of Christ. Ephesians has been called Paul’s greatest letter, a “rhapsody on the worth of salvation.” Kent Hughes, previous pastor of Wheaton’s College Church, says, “Ephesians—carefully, reverently, prayerfully considered—will change our lives. It is not so much a question of what we will do with the epistle, but what it will do with us.”
In the first chapter, Paul prays that we would know “the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.” As he shows us what it means to be “in Christ,” he uses language that lifts us into heaven and, as he describes our relationship with Christ and with each other, he uses imagery that will take your breath away.
Our study will be discussion-oriented and inductive, looking at the text and gleaning what it says, what it means, and how it applies to us in our daily walk. If at all possible, please read the entire letter a couple of times. Let’s see what Ephesians will do with us!
Believing God: Experiencing a Fresh Explosion of Faith Sally Abbot
Beth Moore challenges us: “Do you take God at His Word, believing what He has told us, or do you just believe in His existence and the salvation He offers?” Beth realized that though she had believed in God for many years, she had hardly begun to believe God in all aspects of her everyday life. She heard God asking her: “Are you going to believe me in this situation? What does My Word have to say? Who and what will you choose to believe? And finally—My bride is paralyzed with unbelief—starting with you!”
Why is there a gap between our theology and our reality? How can we close the gap and authentically live our theology (here in our promised land—of Acton?) Faith is what closes the gap between our theology and our reality. What does your faith in God look like? Is He who the Bible says He is? Can He do what the Bible says He can do?
In this reading and discussion class for women, we will examine who God is and how our perceptions of God not only set our expectations of Him, but also affect the way we live our lives. Using Beth Moore’s Believing God, we will see that the Bible is full of stories of people who actively believed God and acted on that belief—Abraham, Noah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Rahab, and so on.
My goals are for us to increase our faith, grapple with our unbelief, revolutionize our prayer lives, learn to be continually believing God in a present and active way, live as verbs, and wake up a few nouns! The cost of the book is $15 and copies will be available the first week of class.
Parenting: Learning What Love Really Is Dan & Tara Kasey, Brad & Kathy Johnson
Dan and Tara and Brad and Kathy are teaming up this year to teach a Sunday school class on parenting. We will be using many different resources as the foundation for covering such topics as the biblical role of parenting, purposes of parenting, building character in our children, teaching children about God, discipline principles, communication with children of all ages, handling parenting differences, and other current issues in parenting.
Resources will include: Raising Children to Adore God by Patrick Kavanaugh, Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas, and Effective Parenting in a Defective World by Chip Ingram. Some of what will be covered will be determined by those who attend the class. Parents of all ages of children are welcome to this lecture and discussion class taught by two different generations of parents.
Thru The Bible Gary Shaw, Larry Black
We can only come to know God intimately and mature in our walk by being in His Word continually. What better way to be in the Word of God than to be involved in a well-structured study that goes through the whole Bible, with free study helps and choice of media commentary? This class is for all those who want to gain a more comprehensive and integrated understanding of God’s Word. You can jump into this study at any time.
Thru the Bible offers a structured Bible-reading program that covers the entire Bible in a five-year cycle. Daily reading schedules and “Notes and Outlines” for each book of the Bible are available from Thru the Bible Radio ministry in advance of each book study. The readings are supplemented by 30-minute Bible study radio broadcasts, 5 days a week with J. Vernon McGee (WROL, WVNE, and WEZE). Free audio podcasts and 5-year MP3 downloads are available as well. McGee is an engaging teacher, combining wisdom with down-to-earth wit. His commentary links the daily reading to other parts of God’s Word for context and clarification.
This year we will pick up our study in Exodus and then move into the New Testament Gospel of Mark. Over the course of the year we will alternate between Old and New Testament books, including the books of Luke and John.
